Imprisoned Lightning
Is total freedom possible within the limits of an earthly existence?
Some say total freedom is not necessary, nor is it what we truly desire… that it is our borders that define us and give our lives meaning.
Some say in death, our souls are set free. What then? Once we are released from fleshly confines, will the life we have led still have any meaning in a world without limits?
Perhaps the albatrosses we encounter in life end up following us beyond the grave.
If so, when precisely does a soul have the need… the right… the want… to be totally free?
Unearthly wisdom… unimaginable power… and an unending quest for true freedom, in every sense of the word. I had never realized before, but that last is as much a part of the Lady’s character as the other two.
We can’t really know what is beyond the bounds of life, for all we really know is what our senses have told us about living. Our very being is defined by the choices we make. I knew well before I was ever old enough to have children that I wanted-needed- my children. Being their mother is the biggest part of who I am. Sure , this means I don’t have the freedom to go carousing whenever I want, but I don’t miss that, I remember how lonely and incomplete I was before they were born. Existing means making choices, and choices mean consequences. A or B, usually; rarely A and B.
I once heard that the purpose of life was to allow us to make those choices, rather than simply being who we are. That, and allowing us to have experiences that we cannot as spirits… and given that this is a universe of the relative (or so they say), boundaries, transient as they may be, are an important part of who we are here. But I’m not sure such things exist in the world of the spirit… if they do, it is only because we will it. (But that’s likely the case here in senserealm too.) I suppose the question is, can a soul be separated from its limitations without its consent?
Someone once said that we only have two things we have to do: 1) Die and 2) Choose.
Awesome chapter opening panel, Blake.
The comments here, and earlier in the archive, bring to mind something I’ve always thought of concerning The Lady, N’lith (A very cool reference to Lilith, btw). I may be wrong but it seems to me The Lady is the personification of an eternal principle, though I’m not quite sure which one. It may be Balance, or Eternity, perhaps. During her imprisonment with Jen, however, she has become more grounded, as it were, less “above it all”. This troubles her greatly. She views it as a diminishing, but it may indeed turn out to be a deepening of her essence.
Again, I may be totally off base here. Those are just my thoughts after having read through the archives to this point. I am so glad I did. I found this comic after The Indwellers story line began and didn’t have a firm grasp on The Lady. I think I’ve gained a measure of understanding now, though. Now, excuse me while I return to reading.
@ Big Tom;
I agree that N’lith is presented as a pure principle. Or at least someone who spent uncounted time training herself to a principle.
And after she got there, the binding to a mere physical form! “Ewwww! Grosss!”
Now our human protagonists see how harsh and unyielding ideals can be. And perhaps the Lady now sees value in what she previously spurnned.
I guess I’ll just have to keep reading.