Yet whenever I remember the lovely images, the memory of a graphic crime scene photo inevitably follows. A black and white shot of a murder scene, bodies sprawled across the floor, blood everywhere. Then a picture of a pretty young blonde woman, eight months pregnant, separate from the other bodies. That always struck me as particularly cruel: it wasn't enough to steal her life and her unborn son's, her killers had to isolate her as well.
I don't like the crime genre, especially not the true-crime subgenre. I'm cynical enough as it is. I don't need to read about human depravity as well. Crime and detective fiction has to have some kind of hook for me to take any interest (a quirky protagonist, a unique perspective, something). It's why I was confused by my own interest in the story of Charles Manson and the murder of Sharon Tate. Something about it enthralled me and until recently, I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I only figured it out a few months ago and perhaps not surprisingly, it has to do with a concept that I have long been interested in.
When I meet with my mentor, we have long discussions that are best described as philosophical. We cover a wide-range of topics. My grasp of new knowledge helps to make me a more well-rounded writer. There is a concept from Freudian theory that we frequently come back to and it is one of my favorite topics of conversation. Not only is it a fascinating theory, but it has helped me understand myself and other people probably more than any other theory I've come across. The theory: the Life drive vs. the Death drive.
Freud had a theory that we were all driven by two contrasting instincts or drives: the Eros (or life) drive and the Thanatos (or death) drive. The Eros drive is associated with preserving and creating life. It is associated with positive emotions like love and cooperation. This is the drive that is at the heart of all true artists, even in our darkest moments.
In contrast to the life drive, you have the Thanatos drive. This drive pushes people towards death and extinction. It is associated with negative emotions such as fear, hate, greed, and anger. The Thanatos drive is all about destruction.
Though we have both drives, one is usually dominant over the other. People who are driven mostly by the Thanatos drive often don't care about others. The Thanatos drive is apparent in everything from bullying to murder. Because they are so driven by destructive tendencies, which sometimes manifest as materialism and greed, they are often dismissive of those driven by the Eros drive.
Eros driven individuals see beauty in the world and are filled with a strong desire to connect with others. They tend to love life, even if they come across as sullen. That's important, just because someone is driven mostly by Eros doesn't mean they're going to appear as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed optimistic extrovert. For example, Nietzsche was driven by the Eros drive and yet is still frequently mistaken as a nihilist when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Francesca Woodman, my favorite artist of all time, was driven by Eros as is apparent from her striking photographs and yet she took her own life when she was only twenty-two.
It should come as no surprise, dear reader, that I also consider myself to be driven mostly by the Eros instinct. Even though I frequently come off as bitter or even sad, I'm fascinated by life and strive to create work every day. I have frequently said that one character flaw that will probably wind up being my undoing is that I can't stand to disappoint those closest to me. I want to leave the world a little better place, hopefully using my writing.
I've frequently been tormented by those governed by the death drive. This is especially fresh on my mind due to the upcoming holiday. I avoid the festivities due to a friend of my mother's who has delighted in tormenting me since I was eight years old. I have realized that those driven by the Thanatos drive tend to infect those around them to the point where their poor manners are excused with a verbal disclaimer (Verbal Disclaimer = Asshole). Sometimes you can't fight the death drive and just have to accept that it's not worth it. Bullies are bullies and they're not going to change. Ever.
I once read a book entitled Isis in the Ancient World, a marvelous study of the cult of Isis through time. When discussing it with my mentor, I mentioned that if there absolutely had to be a dominant religion, the world would probably be a better place if it were the cult of Isis. He replied that this is because it was a life-driven religion, whereas Judeo-Christian beliefs almost all revolve around death. The religion of Isis is all about life. The mythology is based around a goddess that creates life, going so far as to overcome death in order to create life. The religion revolves around life in the present, encouraging followers to explore and discover the world we live in. The afterlife is almost an afterthought.
So how does this relate to the Manson murders? Never before have two individuals so embodied these two distinct drives. Manson's face even resembles that of Thanatos. He was obsessed with destruction, that was his sole motivation: to destroy life, especially those he thought wronged him. Every thing about him resembled a Thanatos-driven motivation.
Then you had the Eros drive, embodied by Sharon Tate. She made a living as an artist (acting is considered an art). She was a person who by all accounts was always pleasant and people enjoyed being around her. She had created a new life, the child she was pregnant with. Any footage you watch of her is practically brimming with a vivacity that only comes from one who is in love with life.
A writer could not have created two better personifications of these distinct drives. Sadly, I don't think any writer could have written a more depressing and tragic end.
Namely, the annihilation of Eros by Thanatos.
Eros lost
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