Horror Thought Sunday: Trapped In A Unhappy House

Welcome back to another Horror Thought Sunday.

Week one of this project has been a wild ride – many fun and terrifying moments. So, let’s kick week two off with a bang!

First, I want to give you an insight into what’s coming up this week. 

The Schedule

Coming up on Monday and Tuesday is this week’s trauma prompt: Faceless.
As you may know, I have prosopagnosia – also known as facial blindness – which in itself can be terrifying, and I’ve decided to use it for some horror art and fiction.

Wednesday and Saturday, we’re going to be focusing on Zombie Horror – a genre I very much adore in all capacities. So, I’m excited to assemble a playlist and recommendation list for that.

Thursday and Friday follow the slasher theme we had last week, especially to celebrate Friday the 13th.

So, there’s plenty to look forward to. 

Horror Thought Sunday

Let’s get down to what I’ve been thinking about this week.

While writing Do You Live Alone? I realised that home invasions are one of my worst nightmares, but the opposite is just as bad. The idea of being stuck in a house with someone I’m supposed to love, but don’t, genuinely causes me a chronic amount of anxiety.

As someone who uses the social media platform BOO, I regularly engage in the community, and yesterday’s question to the community was: 

Why is the rate of divorce increasing globally?

The overall comments from people on the page were… Not okay… 

It reminded me of how ignorant some people are to the world we used to live in and the world we currently live in.

Divorce is on the rise globally for several reasons, but the main factors are:

• We no longer shame individuals for escaping unhealthy, unhappy, and abusive marriages.
• Women are (in most countries) now financially independent [it was only in 1974 that it became legal for women to have their own bank account without having to have their husbands co-sign].
• Divorce is now legal in most of the world [the Philippines and Vatican City are the only places with strict or without Divorce protocols]

Of course, many people in the comments weren’t acknowledging this information. Their main gripe is that people aren’t loyal anymore, they have commitment issues, and they run at the first sign of trouble…
Most of which, of course, was aimed at women.

I had one interaction which kind of shocked me. They completely ignored my original statement of why divorces are rising and asked, “If you separate a family, who suffers the most?”

Now, I’m well aware that divorce is a horrible thing to happen in a family – it can be excruciating and jarring.

But, and I cannot stress this enough, it’s not the worst thing to happen to a family. It just isn’t.

This person went on to talk about how the older generations stuck with their marriages, ignoring that most had no choice. 

Before 1974, women would’ve had to be financially dependent on a relative or loved one to get out of an unhappy, unhealthy, or abusive relationship.

Our grandparents didn’t have a choice but to stay with their partners. Whether because of societal pressure, financial dependence, or just the law of the time.

Of course, this person proceeded to try suggesting that: cheating, little fights, and generally being unhappy aren’t reasons to divorce…

But, I counter this with: when you’re at home, you should feel safe, secure, and content – at the least. 

Why should you stay if you no longer feel these three things because of the person you’re married to?

Why should you walk on eggshells, feel like you’re fighting for your life, and damaging your mental health to stay in a relationship that isn’t working?

The genuine terror I feel while thinking about being married to someone who makes me feel unsafe, insecure, and unloved…

I grew up around it. I grew up feeling those things. 

If I have a choice between feeling those things again, or the opposite, I promise you I will do everything possible to get the better outcome.

We shouldn’t be forcing anyone to stay in a relationship.

And we certainly shouldn’t be telling people to stay together for the kids. 

If you have children and your marriage is struggling, or even failing, please consider separating.

There have been dozens of studies on children showing that an unhappy home causes just as much psychological damage as abuse, and far more than divorce.

Staying in a relationship for the kids hurts every member of the family. 

And with that said and done, stick around for more horror thoughts, spooky content, and horror recommendations coming in the rest of October!

Take care and Happy Spooky Season.