Of Blue Blood and Burning Sanctuaries

Cut me open
Separate the seams that bind
Until I no longer see my Self
—As long as I bleed blue

Tell me how I act is wrong
That my words cause harm to others
Tear me limb from limb
—As long as I bleed blue

You see red
Your title injustice done
Drive me back into your maze
—As long as I bleed blue

Staring out the window
In horror, gaping at the world
Eyes now fully opened
The red, it bleeds from you

This piece was made as a statement against censure, taboo, and all ideas comparable to them.
The society we live in believes the strong, those not vexed by the deeper and uglier truths of life, are obligated to adapt to the ways of the weak.
They demand we build sanctuaries of imagined safety. Confrontations with what are considered ugly truths have been stigmatized, prioritizing the sparing of others' potentially negative feelings over reason and truth.
This misguided path is viewed as a moral high road in life, in stark contrast to provoking any confrontation with people's fears and dislikes, which ironically is the path that might actually help them learn and evolve.

In olden days, stories passed on through oral traditions were explicitly and decidedly vicious. These cautionary tales were devised to lay bare an underlying truth–that dark and malignant intent lurks in the shadows of our world, monsters usually conceived by the very human minds of others.
Designed as shocking confrontations, these tales were meant to breed strength and awareness.
Yet nowadays, we are expected to do the opposite, to shield instead of teach–and weakness, frustration, entitlement and idiocracy thrive around us.
Those of the hivemind shun that which provokes feeling, and revel in the glorious façade they prefer to make themselves and others believe in.

Young minds are confronted with boundaries concerning what they are and aren't allowed to see or feel, causing a disassociation from their inner self, from their identity and from the belief that their own truth is the compass they should follow in life.
Instead they are coerced into embracing doctrines claimed to be necessary for all to feel safe, included and understood.
Doctrines meant to ensure others are "protected" from opinions and feelings some have deemed negative.

The pressure to conform, and the overprotection that blinds these seeking youths to the realities of their own world, their own bodies, and their own minds, is the true danger—the quiet gnawing within that harms far more in the long run than the unease birthed by confronting the darker or more explicit expressions, occurrences or viewpoints of life.
And if anything, that which is obscured becomes all the more interesting and attractive—which is fine, as long as it doesn't lead to frustration or obsession.

I entreat for all minds to be allowed to freely explore that which they feel drawn to, light or dark, lest we lose our personality, inspiration, creativity and the ability for critical thought.
And it goes without saying, without causing harm to others. Actual harm, not that which the over-sensitive majority deems harmful nowadays.

I’ve always felt that censure is one of society’s gravest mistakes, and instead of seeing improvement, it has only worsened as time drudges on.

The world grows ever more judgmental, imposing silence and obscurity—leaving us to be guided by external voices and watch as our world becomes ever more hollow, or to look within and stand resolute against the tide that washes over us.