The much longer life span of the vampire has always been one of it’s greatest strengths. It can also represent a great weakness.
The human life span is roughly 75 years. Generations change every 15 years or so. To the human – it seems slow when one is young, but entirely too fast when one is old. To a vampire who has lived 100 years or more, the speed can be blinding unless the vampire has adapted himself or herself to their new temporal frame of reference.
Einstein taught us that time is not a constant. Time is relative to your frame of reference, and the speed of that frame of reference. In a sense this holds true for conscious beings as well. I’m not saying that a second is shorter or longer for a 75 year old than for a 15 year old. In empirical terms the second is equally long – what is different is the perception of that second. To someone who has only lived 15 years – a couple of months may seem like a very long time – indeed, it represents a full percent of their life to that point – but to say, a 50 year old, the same two months seems much shorter – as it represents a far smaller percentage of their overall existence.
There is another aspect to consider when one views the passage of time – mortality. When one grows older – one is more conscious that there is less time left. This creates anticipation, and the desire to fill days with as much activity as possible. Just as the youth feels the last days of vacation pass by much too quickly – so does the older person feel their autumn years slide by.
So what then does a being with a potential lifespan of thousands of years have to expect. With each passing year – a month or a year becomes a less meaningful unit of time. Time on the one hand seems to fly by at alarming speed, but time on the other hand seems to be meaningless as there is no natural “end” to anticipate. Herein lies the basis of the conundrum written on by so many authors – how does a vampire stay “current” when he or she crosses so many generations of humanity.
One key is to understand the effects of time and develop a strategy for dealing with them. This is one case where there is no “one size fits all” solution – but it is easier for some groups of people than others. The strategy also relates to who makes a good candidate for vampirism in the first place. I hesitate to use the word “social conservative”, as it’s too politically charged, but an individual looking always to go back to “the good old days” is going to be severely challenged by the rigors of a vampiric life span.
One key is finding a way to break free of the tendency to let days, weeks, months, and years blur by. The less engaged one is with the passage of time, the more chance one has to become isolated – out of touch – and lethargic. Such vampires become easy prey for their enemies or simply go to ground – never to awake.
Another key is to understand that basic human nature – and therefore the basic motivation of society – hasn’t changed appreciably in thousands of years. Rome faced many of the same challenges as modern America. The names are different, but the issues remain the same. Technology changes rapidly – nothing is permanent – those that have the easiest time long-term are those who always look for the new. They are what the technology industry calls “early adopters”.
Remember, the solution here must be individual – but must bear in mind both one’s changing perception of time and the need to stay connected to the current decade. It is also an important thing to remember when seeking new children. Not all are prepared for this challenge – best to leave those that aren’t, as they are…
