So what is the truth about vampires? Why do we so fear them and why does popular culture seem so drawn to them? What is the true fear that lurks behind the symbol of the vampire? One of the greatest fears that exists within us as human beings even to this day...

After all, who doesn't get a little nervous at the prospect of meeting someone new? Who isn't anxious when getting into a romantic entanglement? Who doesn't get a little bit scared at the prospect of losing a loved one? This is because everybody has been burned at one time or another by a relationship that, for one reason or another didn't work out. When people get to know one another as friends, family, or even lovers, a bond begins to be formed and grows stronger over time. Such bonds can make people stronger, better people than they were before. However, in some cases, the way we value a relationship isn’t always the same amount of value the other places on the relationship. Some forge these bond under false pretenses, using such bonds to use us, to get what they want, and then they discard such a relationship. To us, losing such a bond can be one of the most painful things imaginable. However, they couldn’t care less. They got what they wanted from you, so that’s the end of the relationship. It is in this cold disposition that we see reflected in the symbol of the vampire.

In almost every story they appear in, the vampire is an outsider who worms their way into the life of the main character or characters connected to them. Once they do so, the vampire use the relationship they cultivate for their own ends, literally sucking the life from the main character or others they care about. Similarily in real life, when any major relationship breaks it can very much feel like our own lifeforce has been sucked away. We become bitter, seeing relationships as nothing more than tools for one’s own end, perhaps even becoming very much like the person who used us, thus becoming “Vampires” ourselves. However, the worst part about these relationships is that we that we are the ones who allowed these individuals to come into our lives. After all, one can’t form new relationships without first being willing to open up our lives for others. Just as the vampire cannot enter buildings unless we invite them we have to invite people who may end up hurting us into our lives as well. But we are often too blinded by the person's charm or other factors that we don't even notice the signs until it is too late.

However, it is in the dangers of physical intimacy that vampires inspire the most fear, especially today. For in a world that so often places such a high value on being physically intimate with a partner, it oftentimes comes with both physical and emotional repercussions. There are people out there who get into relationships for sexual purposes and nothing else, abandoning others the instant they are gratified. There are others who use their status as a “significant other” to abuse their partner and bend them to their own will. Such “monsters” are reasons why we are so nervous to become emotionally or physically intimate with anyone. For in becoming intimate with another, we put ourselves in a lot of risk. Risk of becoming rejected. Risk of being taken advantage of. Risk of becoming used and discarded.

With such fears, is it any wonder people have become so afraid of any kind of intimacy? Why people would rather talk to others through the cold communication of technology rather than meet with people face to face? However, humans are social creatures. We crave such intimacy which means that there will always be others who can and will take advantage of us if given the chance. Is it no wonder that such fears have coalesced into a single symbol, the visage of the vampire? Why the vampire has become synonymous with sex to the point of being overused in teen romance? In this manner, vampires have become a dark reflection of ourselves so much that they don't even cast shadows or reflections. They are our own reflections and shadows. They are made up of the parts of us which are all too willing to use others for our own personal gratification and the people we fear that will use us. The ultimate predator that we can't see coming, hiding behind a human mask of perfection. They have come to represent how monsters can lurk right in front of us and we can hardly see it. So next time someone uses your relationship for their own self-gratification, you might just be able to see the fangs of a vampire poking out from behind their smile.

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