Schadenfreude

I wrote this little poem earlier this year (March 18 to be exact) and I ended up posting it at the end of a comment I left on a thread in another forum. A few members started discussing it with me, and expressing their interest in it. Discussion is seemingly still on-going at this point (April 08) and I felt that since a few members enjoyed or found something worthwhile in it, I might as well post it here for everyone else.

I don't have much background for it, it just kind of came to me one night. However, after discussions with other ATS members I think the seeds of a character for a fictional work might be sprouting from the poem. If it does, I might consider posting any story I write on here too.

This will be the first time I've ever posted any poetry of mine publicly, so go easy on me, ha ha.


Enjoy,

Wandering Scribe

Schadenfreude


Happiest is he who has nothing left to lose.
For when he gives, he gives everything;
Such that nothing may remain
Of what was once counted amongst his existence

Into the Great Oblivion one day I shall go,
Hand-in-hand with this Nothingness,
A nothingness which I claim as my own.

Schadenfreude!
Schadenfreude!

May you extract some Great Pleasure
From my venture into the Unknown.

[edit on 8/4/10 by Wandering Scribe]

hi,why do you use the german word schadenfreude which means having pleasure in the misfortune or failure of others?

reply to post by silversurfer6161


Hi, good question. Another member (OrionTri) asked me the same thing on the thread where I originally posted this one. My use of "schadenfreude" is a very loose usage. For two reasons:

First being that Schadenfreude is the name of the "character" the poem is about. Nickname might be more precise. The character entering the abyss does not have a first, or standard name yet. Schadenfreude is the nickname I have given him/her.

Second, I consider it a kind of spiritual schadenfreude. At the time that I wrote it I had been a part of a group of spiritually minded individuals. Together we were all exploring our own diverse spiritual paths towards godhead or enlightenment.

Of the group I was elected the "Teacher" or "Leader" if you will. It was my job to review and guide the group forward.

Now, unknown to them, my own spiritual road was skirting the edge of suicide. This suicidal inclination was leading me towards my own Abyss, what I call Nothingness in the poem.

Oddly enough though, the closer that I came to suicidal inclinations, the more my messages seemed to resonate with the other members. They were finding truths and happiness because of my slow degradation.

In short, they were emotionally happy because I was mentally and psychologically suffering. Schadenfreude.



There's a whole sub-layer too, about how the ability to suffer so someone else can be happy is a spiritual sacrifice and such. OrionTri and I have been discussing it on another thread. I didn't intend it to be such when I wrote it, but our discussions on that thread have made me see it as a legitimate philosophy now.

~ Wandering Scribe

[edit on 8/4/10 by Wandering Scribe]