Author Guest Post:

 Bea Kylene Jumarang, author of Dark Redemption

The Book…

Dark Redemption

by Bea Kylene Jumarang

The Post… 

The only secret people keep is immortality.

Oh, if only Emily Dickinson were right, and we had the good fortune of living secretly immortal lives. If that were the case, we would be able to live more, to do more, and basically just have more time than our mortal fates deign to allow. Given that, immortality isn’t our present state, which is why I think we compensate by talking of immortality in fiction.

To make up for our unfortunately mortal lives, we create characters that span the centuries, and I’m certainly an author who has already done that. Even so, writing my book has opened my eyes to all sorts of issues, prompting to address those issues with a good dose of thought.

My hope is that through this blog post, the same effect will be achieved from you. Below are three key things to think about, the next time you wish you were also an immortal. The three things deal with human experience, with our emotions and relationships, as well as with the personal tribulations that hit us over the course of our lives.

1. The loss of loved ones.

Unless you were fortunate enough to also have immortal relatives, saying goodbye to the people you know is ultimately inevitable. While they age you will remain young, and by the time their ephemeral lives end, you will become a constant sentinel traveling through an ever-changing world. If that doesn’t give you pause for thought, consider some of the lines from my own novel, delivered by my immortal protagonist, Alexander.

You don’t know what it’s like to be me, to watch from a distance as my human life escapes my very grasp. You don’t know what it’s like to stay in the shadows, to force yourself to stay away when you want to see your family and friends. You think being like me is desirable? If you think like that, it’s only because you don’t know what I’ve gone through, what I’ve lost, what I pray every day to get back.

2. The inability to form lasting relationships.

Being immortal in a mortal world is a constant exercise in having to let go. In many ways, that is the normal cycle, and it’s just the way things have to be done. Even so, think of what it must be like for yourself, being unable to form relationships that will last throughout your life. You’ll constantly have to let go, to watch the friends you make eventually die unless they’re made to become like you. The only choice is to have immortal friends if you want any sort of constancy in terms of having someone.

Again, take it from Alex and one of his explanation dialogues in my novel.

I’m very good at letting go. You know, you have to be, when you’re like me. Seeing as I feel things so intensely, I would have died from the grief if I didn’t learn to say goodbye. I’m old now, and I’ve learned that it’s best to just coast through and take life one day at a time. Forming a relationship with a mortal, though? That’s mostly out of the question, unless you’re a masochist who prefers to feel pain.

3. The possibility of getting a bit aimless.

One of the reasons why we try to achieve so much is because we acutely understand that time is not on our side. Our humanity makes us urgent, excited, and anticipatory for what the next day will provide. With such an intimate understanding of our mortality, we set goals for ourselves and work hard to meet them. If such mortality was taken away, I find myself thinking of how unmotivated we would be, how our lives would stretch on, our hopes and dreams one day relegated to an endless series of tomorrows. After all, why not postpone when you’ll always have someday to do what you want? Why not bump it up to the next day when that next day will always come? Oh, I really dread that sort of outcome.

Let’s have my protagonist express it.

You question my interest in you, and you wonder why I spend so much time trying to figure you out. I do this because you are a singular rarity, so unlike the masses of today. In a world where so much darkness is the norm, you exist with kindness and yet exhibit strength. You are willing to fight and yet to also be gentle. You have no idea how such contrasts interest me, how they absorb me because they exist – they exist in a world where I have had humans long figured out. And then you come, and you turn that all to dust.

4. Think of all the memories.

Imagine all the war veterans, those who go through or trauma or torture, those who live through hell and end up with scars from their experiences. Mostly, think of all the memories and take some time to visualize how much would pile up in your head. For example, my protagonist is 1200 years old, and I’ve had to research the two world wars, assorted skirmishes throughout the world and buy thick history books just to make sure he’s authentic.

Imagine him, and what he’s lived through, what sorts of memories he’s accumulated. Once you put that into perspective along with the fact that his immortality perfected his memory, you begin to have a small idea of how heavy his life feels every once in a while. Let’s have Alex elaborate, shall we? This is taken from a conversation with one of his immortal cousins.

You think you know how I feel, just because you’ve lived a few centuries? You have no idea how it is, how painful to remember every single moment of pain, how agonizing it is to relive them in those quiet hours between me and my thoughts. You don’t know what it’s like. When you reach my age, perhaps you will, but at this point, know only that you know nothing.

5. You would have to live through what happens in your lifespan.

I think that’s simple enough to think about, yet it deserves our pause for thought. The clear fact is, when you’re immortal, you really have to live through what happens to the world. If for example you were to live for the next 200 years, who’s to say that the world of the future would be a great one? I mean, just imagine climate change and you already have a huge problem on your hands. Unless it’s mitigated, who knows how warm the Earth will be, or how the weather will suck. Add in the possibility of more wars, less food security and the problem of overpopulation, and suddenly immortality isn’t quite as attractive as it seems.

I mean, listen to Alex and see what he says.

You have no idea how lucky you have it, to live in a world with electricity, computers, even the phenomenon of modern plumbing. Yet, in the midst of your progress, you take things for granted and imagine they’ll always be here when you wake up the next day. If you only knew how hard life was, and how it may become a hardship again, you wouldn’t have the tendency at all. If only you knew, every simple thing would be unbearably beautiful.

Well there you have it, folks. Five key issues surrounding immortality, and five paragraphs of lines from my upcoming novel. Hope they’ve given you some things to think about!

The Author…

About the Author:

Bea is a sixteen-year old writer of fiction and the blogger behind Writing Off the Rails. She is currently editing her upcoming novel, and at the same time preparing for her participation in a writing residency. You can see her blog here and also check her out on Twitter!