Giving Back

"Why are we here?" is a question that has plagued humankind since our inception. What is our purpose? Is it to entertain ourselves with books, music, or movies? Were we born to play video games or watch sports?
Some would have us believe our most noble purpose is to support the state. To be wage slaves and pay taxes.

Or maybe the pursuit of money is our driving force. Many people surely think so.

I'm not very political. I don't call myself liberal or conservative. I'm not Democrat or Republican. I merely believe in being a decent person. If I had to sum it up in one brief sentence, I'd say that I believe we should give more than we take in this world.

I've always worked, and I have paid a king's ransom in taxes. I tend to work too hard at my job, which isn't always the most healthy way to be. I'm generous to a fault, which isn't the best thing for my bank account.

I have never been a fan of sports or gaming. I like the arts. I've gained satisfaction from supporting the creators whose work I love. Writers, publishers, booksellers, musicians, filmmakers and distributors. Movie theaters. This endeavor, regardless of how noble it may be, hasn't been financially beneficial either.

For most of my life I've existed in my little world of books and movies. I liked it. I generally haven't needed a lot of people in my life. For years I was a loner, and lived a near reclusive life.

I met and married a librarian several years ago, and she has opened my life up to endless possibilities. Now I have another purpose. One that is greater than my myopic little world of collecting.

We are giving back to the earth. Our property has been cited as a Wildlife Habitat. We've worked for the past two years to create a little oasis in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. We have numerous feeders for wildlife. We have gardens and we compost. We have flowering trees and shrubs that nurture bees and other wildlife. For the past year we have worked on a deadfall, which now has nests in it. We built an insect hotel from pallets and brush. We feed and care for feral cats.

Nothing in my life has given me greater satisfaction. It costs money and a lot of time. I don't regret a minute or a cent of it. These are things we do in order to enrich our spirits.

I make sure I have time for books and reading, and I still labor here at Horror Drive-In to share my love of horror. Movies have taken a big back seat in my life. I do regret that a little bit, but time is precious. That said, we made an outdoor screen and have a projector for showing movies in our little park.

I'm just a tiny speck on this giant anthill of a planet, but I love being a small component that makes things a little better.

Written by Mark Sieber