The blank stare resting on Seth's face reflects the sorrow in his heart. It seems like a paradox. To eliminate loneliness, Seth surrounds himself with people, yet those people make him feel even more lonely than before. It is the careful tightrope humanity seems to walk as they tiptoe between disinterest and obsession. Desperately wanting to irradicate the fear of being alone, Seth pursues every relationship with an overbearing vigor that tramples the foundation that was carefully built through moderate vulnerability.
Strength is an interesting word. For many, it is the thing they desire most. To be strong against temptation is a noble pursuit. But strength is not always an honorable characteristic. In Seth's case, he cannot help but come across strong with every relationship he pursues. To combat the plague of loneliness that torments his soul, he madly types half-hearted messages in hopes some girl will respond. Is it genuine? Of course not. It is a numbers game. Just to get someone, anyone, to respond will provide an antidote that only subdues the pain for a short time. But ultimately, that antidote is just a catalyst for an episode of loneliness far more depressing than before.
Each response Seth receives he clings to desperately as he pushes for more engagement. His pursuit, though providing temporary fulfillment, is the very thing draining what is left of his sense of value. The further he spreads himself hoping to discover a remedy for his sorrow only weakens his stability in his fight for freedom. Loneliness binds him to a world of more despondency and sadness, as is so often the tale of those who try to find their own way out of the darkness. So often Seth feels that to purge his loneliness, he must dive deeper into temporary solutions. Nevertheless, an inbox full of unopened DMs and Snapchats from girls he never met is not enough to cure the emptiness yearning deep in his soul.
In a world of desperation, Seth turns to solutions that will never fix the real problem. To overcome darkness, one must turn to the light. But not just turn, for the problems that have fermented will not evaporate in an instant. It is with grace and mercy that the evil is revealed only to be irradicated with dedication. Empty relationships to eliminate lonely nights were nothing more than a Band-Aid over an open wound that stretches further than the eye can see. But it is hard to break free of the quick hits of pseudo-satisfaction that a new relationship can create. But the tighter Seth squeezed the sand in his palm to keep it from fading away, the more he saw the broken ambition of forcing reciprocity from another broken soul just wanting to find a solution of her own.
Less clothes and more pictures, more followers and friends, new numbers and Snapchats, all poisonous remedies for the loneliness in Seth's heart. But now Seth must determine if he wants freedom from the intoxicating aroma of false love that pulls him down further into darkness. The temptation taps his slumping shoulders, offering the same solutions as before, hoping to envelop him once again. But that flicker of light that pierces the darkness could be enough to guide him to freedom, but he must let that light overwhelm him and expose his true colors if he truly wants to eradicate his sin.