Cthulhu, a creation of fantasy horror writer H. P.
Lovecraft, was a cosmic entity from another planet. Cthulhu and his brethren
were worshiped as elder gods by cultists. These elder gods were so unbelievably
hideous that no human could look upon their true form without going mad. One of
Lovecraft’s major themes was the complete irrelevance of humanity in the face
of these cosmic horrors that ruled the universe. Remember Jack Nicholson’s line
from A Few Good Men, “You can’t
handle the truth”? That’s what happens in Lovecraft’s universe. It turns out mankind’s
not in control of its own destiny and humans aren’t at the center of the
universe… They’re an afterthought, only a byproduct of creation. When they
discover the truth – that everything they thought they knew about reality was
completely wrong – they’re driven insane. They think the world is like this, but it’s really like that, and their brains can’t process it.
So a Cthulhu moment would be one in which you discover
everything you thought to be true… isn’t. It’s when you realize you’ve been
living in a false reality. Perhaps it’s the moment you see your spouse in a new
light and realize “this isn’t the person I thought I married; I need to get a
divorce.” Or maybe you were watching the election results, saying “No, that
can’t be right.” Or a lifelong friend
suddenly says something that makes you realize this person hasn’t ever really
been your friend. Or you see increasing hatred and violence throughout the
country and shake your head, thinking this isn’t the country you grew up in.
Cthulhu moments may be uniquely personal or may be a shared experience. Have you had a Cthulhu moment? Tell me about it in the comments section below.
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