The thoughts, poems, horoscopes, etc in this section may seem very dark and depressing. This is certainly not an accident. I am a fairly happy person most of the time, but I do have my share (perhaps more so) of deeply depressed moods. This is simply a part of life, though it is naturally more prevelant in certain (creative?) people. My personality sometimes gets me into trouble: I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and take things too much to heart. When things don't work out, it can be a big letdown. Partially because of this, my mood can swing quickly.
Trying to get yourself out of a deeply depressed mood can be tricky: You can try to force yourself to be happy, but it just seems to mask the depression and spread it over a longer period of time. (At least for me.) I've found that if I simply give into the mood and try to write something that's even more depressed than I really feel, that my mood will subside rather quickly. A form of reverse psychology, I guess. Plus, these moods have inspired some powerful writing: Death to Q is one of my favorite poems (I love its tone of paranoia) and I could never have written it had I been feeling 'chipper' that day. Not all of the material was inspired by depression: Fear, for example, was written when I was in a very good mood. (Though the fear described was very specific, it was rather exaggerated.)
Stephen King is a good example: Most of his novels are extremely dark and perverse (and are equally captivating). I'm sure he has very dark, depressed tendencies, but I'm also sure that these feelings would be worse if he kept them to himself. His writing is a great way to make positive use of his negative thoughts. I do not claim to have anything resembling the creative genius of Mr. King, but I do have the same need to outlet my depression. Hence, "Dark Side of Pi".
As I said, this section is simply a place where I can vent my darker feelings, helping me feel better. If you like this material, feel free to enjoy it, but don't read too much into it. If this section isn't for you, there's plenty more material on the Lighter Side of Pi. Thanks.
