Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Some people are so self-centered it is stunning (1 of 2)

Don McLean "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)"
Sad song, great video.

 

As insinuated in Losing My Religions, I am a fan of Vincent van Gogh's paintings. (Although I did not mention my favorite painting of his, so you can see it below, plus another.) 

Many decades ago, before I met Anne but when Prozac was starting to become a cultural phenomenon, I remember an essay in Time magazine that bemoaned the mere existence of antidepressants. The author said that if Prozac had existed in Van Gogh's time, we would have been denied all of his amazing paintings.

Even at the time, I was appalled - utterly horrified - by this incredibly selfish and cruel point of view. How dare anyone want another human being to suffer immensely so that they could enjoy a certain work of art? Would this commentator be willing to torture their child so that future generations could enjoy a piece of music or a certain film?

Not to be a broken record: while I regret many things in my life, pushing hard for people to take suffering seriously is not one of them.

Wheatfield under Thunderclouds. Maybe Van Gogh's last and one we have framed.


Wheatfield with Crows, my favorite painting and probably Vincent's last.
We had this dry-mounted but not framed until it was destroyed in the last move.


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