Charisma
GiaB writing prompt #15: illumination
You know the type. He enters and scans the room. His eyes come to rest and he moves in. Observed in a different context (is it?), a predator seeks its prey. Not necessarily male, he is unconventionally attractive. His mirror confirms it daily.
As if illuminated by a personal spotlight, all eyes track him, moths to flame. Envious Greek gods, scheme. People consciously redirect their gaze.
He moves through the crowd to his selection. Once he makes contact, no one else matters. It’s as if the room had emptied. Perhaps it did. They could be in a packed stadium and still bask in their shared light.
The object of his attention imagines he cares only for her. Who else? A scene from a romantic novel. A foregone conclusion. Meant to be.
A disinterested observer would detect something about this Adonis. His mesmerizing presence, his easy, yet overpowering confidence craves affirmation. His energy needs constant renewal from an external source. The electrical charge hums, but originates elsewhere.
That sparkle in his eye reflects back onto whomever he speaks and their unwavering attention. He responds to and gives back what he receives, but less. The object of his pursuit may end the night feeling depleted. A spent battery.
The beguiled become obsessed and cannot get enough of that mysterious consuming energy. They pursue it and refuse to surrender the quest for that rush. That first rush can never be duplicated. Others get a taste of it and run from it ever after.
This style of illumination bears a sinister air. It could suck you dry. ‘Charm,’ ‘seduction,’ or ‘energy vampire’ are words associated with these people. Have you ever encountered one? They never self-identify.
What deprivation, what lack, drives this dark hunger? A distant mother? Childhood abuse? Can anything satisfy it?
One wonders what internal need would make anyone susceptible to such a person. Do prey and predator ever share a common goal?
~
There is another illumination which comes from within. Some people generate their own light independent of anyone else’s need. Your adulation neither adds nor diminishes it. Theirs is a pure signal, not subject to noise or interference. The first type, described above, may be mistaken for the one who generates this inner glow. They are not interchangeable.
This inner light cannot be taught. People who have it, are generous. They share it, ‘un-self-consciously’. Imitators betray themselves like bad actors trying too hard and seeking applause.
The carrier of inner light has no agenda. No duplicity. They are comfortable alone, in a group, speaking, or silent. When they depart, you feel energized. Alive. One feels this inner light is bestowed without condition. You feel listened to. They are a transparent source. Trust is not betrayed.
With them, you feel seen, for yourself, and not for what they can get. They need nothing from you. They appear to be self-contained. And content. Comfortable in their own skin.
How can they give so much, be so generous, and also be devoid of self-interest? The others remain dedicated to the proposition the world revolves only around themselves. How can one tap, with ease, into an ineffable source, while another runs on fumes and an engaging smile?
What would happen if these two encountered each other, say, in an elevator? Would they cancel each other in a flash, like matter meeting anti-matter? No. The one, after arriving at her floor, would leave unscathed. Sharing her energy does not deplete her. Being centered, she remains complete.
The other might also leave unchanged. Still empty. Still needy and grasping. Still seeking to fill the unnamed vacuum which haunts him.
~
Light does not recoil from darkness. It may not fill it. But it remains undiminished.
As dark as a night may be, a single light stands separate and distinct, though alone. Even if faint, it defines its surroundings. A twinkle becomes a beacon, ever greater, in its solitude, than immense darkness could ever be. The tiniest light penetrates and is seen from great distances. Light reveals, while darkness must retreat.
A star, or a lonely candle snuffed, is missed.
© John K. Adams 2021. All rights reserved.
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