Temptation
Temptation
This is the moment when the hero is tempted to give up. Its worse than the Belly of the Whale moment and the Road of Trials, because its exhaustion. Exhaustion causes our brains and bodies to not process information well. We need a break to heal. We need sleep. And we just want to stay in this place because… as much as we don’t like it… it seems like the best place to take a nap.
However, this is the worst place. The exhaustion pressures us to give up. We’re not finished yet. We may want to take a break, but giving up on the healing process at this moment… we would abandon the quest.
It would be like making camp in the middle of your vacation and saying, “Wooo! We got here!” …when the reality is that your desired destination is still far away.
Temptation isn’t always some big showdown between you and a rotten choice. As trauma survivors you’ve already been caught between a big showdown and a rotten choice.
Temptation is often quieter. It looks a lot like powerless.
I call this “camping in the ruins.”
In my dystopian short story, John Ransom, my lead character lives in an old military bunker. He knows there’s something beyond the city of apocalyptic ruins that he lives in. But all he can manage is guarding his bunker, and gathering supplies. This is his daily effort. He doesn’t move forward. He’s mentally stuck in that ruined city. And his mental space keeps him from physically leaving the city. He has the means and methods to escape - but exhaustion and emotions keep him there.
For John Ransom - hope is a temptation. He’s shut down everything emotionally, and just goes through the survival motions. (I’d send out a link - but I’m still writing John Ransom.)
We all have emotions. We all deal with powerlessness. We all deal with temptations. We all deal with exhaustion.
These things don’t make us failures. They make us human. It’s the decisions we make in these moments which teach us and help us take our next steps.
Camping in the ruins is fine for a night, or a few days to heal up and process emotions. But you can’t live there.
We’re coming up on the Jewish holiday of Passover (and the Christian holiday of Easter)… both these holidays have significance for those who are attempting to be free of trauma’s takeover of their lives. Why? Because they’re about freedom. Essentially, the divine figure of these relegions leaned down over his creation and whispered, “I’m not going to let you camp in the ruins any longer.”
For the ancient Israelites that looked like leaving Egypt where they’d been enslaved for close to five hundred years.
For the Jews who declared Jesus of Nazareth their long awaited Messiah, it meant that their God hadn’t forgotten them, and took on the powers of darkness, giving them agency to go out from their homes and yell, “I am not abandoned and forgotten!”
So, go ahead, sleep in the ruins for a night, but you don’t have to stay there. Don’t abandon or forget your quest. The ruins are not your final destination.
Perpetual Disclaimer for this series:
I am not a counselor or a mental health professional. I am going to attempt to avoid things which will cause alarm or harm, but I can't know what will trigger each individual. If you need to speak to a mental health professional please know that there are resources available.
Your stories are amazing!
Chronic Writer