Vampires: a Comment on Our Culture?

There has been a lot of talk lately about what our fascination with vampires really means. The recent popularity of the film “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” along with the on-going popularity of shows such as True Blood have many questioning if this sudden interest in vampires is a reflection of our culture. Could we be in love with the undead because of a sudden need to deal with the fast paced nature of the world around us? While much has been said of the inherent sexual nature of vampires, and the “bad boy” aspect that even Anne Rice admits is a part and parcel of her vampires appeal, does it go beyond that?

Vampires and Buddhist Thought

A recent interview on the Huffington Post with poet and feminist writer Rebecca Housel brings an interesting concept up – that we are attracted to the undead because our own lives are so changing and transient. Everything around us changes at such a rapid pace, and we begin to look for ways to deal with how impermanent it all is. She points out how in Buddhism we are taught to accept that impermanence as part of our practice. But if today’s pop culture makes that harder than ever, the other answer is to reject this acceptance and romanticize it with a figure like an immortal being such as a vampire.

So – does this mean that a vampire is in essence the basic Buddhist concept of ultimate enlightenment? Obviously you would have to put aside the violence that is part of the vampire culture. This then begins to feel as if vampires could be the basis for a new religion. Or are they already?

Okay – well I hope I haven’t offended anyone but the thought was so mind-shaking I had to share it with you. What do you think is the possibility that some people use this fascination with vampires to replace the lost mysticism of religion? Is it a bedrock of undead with which to anchor our human ship? Or am I waaaay off base here? It is an intriguing thought, that the whole fascination with vampires could be because we live in an unstable constantly changing world and we need a larger than life rock solid being that we feel emotionally will be there even if we are gone. An undead being to relate to in a different way.

Thoughts anyone? Have I gone too far this time? Hey – it wasn’t me it was this poet who came up with the idea, I just got fascinated by it and took it the next step.