Thursday, June 25, 2009

THOMAS CHATTERTON

Learning new things -- important and not -- is one of those spices on the rack (and it's the bottle most often depleted). I did not realize that British poet Thomas Chatterton was just 17 years of age when he took his own life.

What was it about those "old days" when the young really could accomplish great things?

My theory is we are so processed these days (and have been for years) that by the time the "system" spits us out, all creative muse has been pounded from every cell in our bodies. (Our tender selves have been tenderized.) And while we are young, encouragement in the arts is not encouraged in the name of setting us on our life path of making a living... at life's expense.

1 comment:

Greg Woods said...

Exactly- look how young Arthur Rimbaud was before he quit writing and went to the Congo. And they say our society is youth-obsessed.