Well I wasn't exactly _recommending_ analgesics, though I confess
that one of the reasons I am happy I was born in the 20C is the
invention of aspirin.
But there is a general idea in Western societies that pain is _bad_
and to be avoided at all costs. Now I'm not one of those who thinks
that suffering is good for the soul - that's complete crap - but to
me it seems that the total avoidance of pain amounts to a total
avoidance of life. And so as a society we are less and less able to
deal with it, and I think that's the major reason for the "epidemic"
of mental illness which is happening now. It was telling for me that
once when a bunch of psychiatrists showed some patients some romantic
poetry (Wordsworth, Coleridge et al) they all began to feel better.
Theory No. 331 from Alison.
Cheers
A
>Long may you continue, Liz!
>
>
>Alison is quite right about analgesics, if they work for one, I'm afraid I'm
>beyond any pain-killers, except for the visitations of sleep. The one thing
>I did have was a sense of poetry as a protected space, but that's been
>invaded now.
>
>But, yes, it is a triumph, to be alive.
>
>Best
>
>Dave
>
>
>David Bircumshaw
>
>Leicester, England
>
>Home Page
>
>A Chide's Alphabet
>
>Painting Without Numbers
>
>www.paintstuff.20m.com/index.htm
>
>http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2001 12:56 AM
>Subject: Re: one more with feeling
>
>
>> In a message dated 12/26/01 10:10:45 GMT Standard Time,
>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>
>>
>> > What makes it worse is the love one feels for others, if it were just a
>> > problem for one's selfish self it wouldn't be so bad.
>> >
>>
>> yes this is a nub of real distress.......
>>
>> and to think of poetry without pain - ?
>>
>> or without joy - !
>>
>> I experience a world that is so completely wrapped about, often one does
>not
>> end before the other begins and sometimes I cannot tell the difference.
>It
>> seems a great triumph to me, simply to be alive.
>>
>> A fragile continuance
>>
>> Liz
>>
--
Alison Croggon
Home page
http://www.users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
Masthead
http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
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