Dear Friend,
It has been a long day. And as usual on such days, I am writing to you. I find it comforting, spilling my thoughts onto paper, knowing that you will read them, consider them, process them, and ingest them. Although, as I understand, you often find them hard to swallow.
Today's topic, my dear friend, is murder.
The dictionary defines murder as "the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice."
Let us discuss. "Unlawful killing." Law is relative. If one individual were to kill another (with premeditated malice) in a place without laws, would it be considered murder? Would "murder," in the common sense of the word, exist? Such a harsh connotation is tied to the term "murder." Is this connotation due to the unlawfulness of the act? What began the concept of murder being negative? I believe that the view of murder as a negative act is related to the nature of the act itself.
Let me explain. Murder is a fascinating thing. It is very demanding and deliberate. It is a complicated dance of motives and actions. The participants must give equally in the matter. To kill another is to die. For the murderer is the victim and the victim is the murderer. They are bound in humanity. They are bound by mutual mortality. Both the victim and the killer are composed of the same substances and are sustained by the same life forces. Therefore, to commit murder is to accept one's own mortality.
This is (one reason) why murder is perceived as negative.
However, some might argue that to committing murder transfers one participant's (the victim's) life energy into the other, increasing their life, perhaps causing them to deny their own mortality. In such a situation, the murderer is indeed weaker than the victim. To conquer the fear of one's own mortality is, as I see it, the ultimate power.
And this is why I have chosen murder as my expertise, my profession, you might say. Although, it is more of a hobby, because I do not accept payment for my work. In fact, I don't much consider it work at all. It is something I enjoy, and although I could receive large sums of money for my pleasures, I do not. It is an art that is not to be cheapened by the evil of currency.
My world is one where the common laws do not apply. It is a realm that I dominate, that I alone comprehend. Religious and social institutions do not reign in my world. I fear not guilt, death, or damnation. I do not pity the victim or their associates. For death is a release, and sadness is a weakness.
Oh, my friend! I know that this sort of talk is not quite in your vein of interest, but I feel that perhaps these correspondences are more for my benefit than for yours.
Yours in Mortality,
Edgar