recognising the power to inflict pain is the first step, in doing no harm
The late American author and journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, was famed for a self-labelled writing style called ‘Gonzo’ journalism that vetoed the objectivity of mainstream reporting, in favour of an immersed, first-person view. It seemed like a natural birth as described by Roberto Loiederman, another writer and one-time friend, who recalled their penchant for illicit substances and an ill-considered approach to life, on a drug-fuelled high. In a searingly honest account given to the Los Angeles Times, in 2005, Loiederman writes about a night that could have ended in tragedy but which fortunately, went the other way.
He recalls, as if painting on a storied canvas: how Thompson often let fly with observations and quotes that landed anywhere. Musings like: ‘He that is taught by himself, has a fool for a master’, which, of course, isn’t always true, and ‘Freedom is something that dies, unless it’s used’ – rebranded experiential knowing, whilst ignoring his many of his own frailties as a person. Naturally, as with so many creatives, the juxtaposing of a haven and a cliff edge drew the very best from a dexterous mind, including this clever reflection:
‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a ride!”’
Well, those on a precipice may see it that way as the rest of us look to arrive at the end, with as much intact as we can. Still, the quote evokes a sense of complete and utter abandon. A nod to the wild man caged within while managing to get behind the wheel of a thrill, that ends up swerving a pile-up.
For many, it’s the product of an earlier trauma putting you out on a ledge but the act of being there nurses a mindset that’s hard to dispel, as time moves on. It’s a crude analogy but no less true in that once you’re away from a possible fall, your thoughts and actions continue to speak as if existentially, it’s all over. It’s the principle behind Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book ‘The Body Keeps The Score’, which has been published in 43 languages. Within those pages, the scientific researcher and clinical therapist discusses the idea of a permanently activated survival alarm, induced in one form or another and usually in our pre-adult years.
‘These experiences [of trauma] leave traces on people’s biology and identity and have devastating social consequences-medical illnesses, problems with school and work performance, drug addiction and a variety of psychiatric illnesses. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculate that childhood trauma is our single largest public health issue – more costly than cancer or heart disease – and one that is largely preventable by early prevention and intervention.’
Bessel Van Der Kolk
In fact, with approximately one-billion people worldwide now experiencing some form of mental-health difficulty, the time has never been better for humanity to break the cycle. How this happens is another matter because in a world where human life is often cheaper than items of material or industrial gain: caring beyond kinship and into wider domains only becomes apparent during a crisis. The Covid pandemic, for instance, suddenly highlighted our local and global interdependency on each other.
‘Some claim evolution is just a theory. As if it were merely an opinion. The theory of evolution, like the theory of gravity, is a scientific fact. Evolution really happened. Accepting our kinship with all life on Earth is not only solid science. In my view, it’s also a soaring spiritual experience.’
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Surely, it is, and so maybe, just maybe if we can do that: recognising the pain and potential trauma of another becomes as natural as blinking and breathing.
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Images:
In Two Minds, by Pedro Beja, Pixabay – Main Image
Between Minds, by Cottonbro, Pexels
References:
Written and Fact Checked by the Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, ‘Hunter S. Thompson’ Bio, Britannica Encyclopedia Online, 2024, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hunter-S-Thompson
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Roberto Loiederman, ‘The Darker Side of a Night with Hunter S. Thompson’, Los Angeles Times, 27th February 2005, accessed 27th September 2024, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-27-bk-hunterthompson27-story.html
Sam Parker, ‘Hunter S. Thompson Quotes: The World According to the Doctor of Gonzo’, Esquire Magazine, 19th February 2015, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a7874/hunter-s-thompson-quotes/
Hunter S. Thompson, ‘Life should not be a journey…’ Goodreads, 2024, accessed30th September 2024, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/47188-life-should-not-be-a-journey-to-the-grave-with
Bessel Van Der Kolk, ‘The Body Keeps The Score’ (London, Penguin Books, 1st Edition, 2015) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Keeps-Score-Transformation-Trauma/dp/0141978619/
Bessel Van Der Kolk.com, 2024, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score
United Nations, ‘Nearly One Billion People Have a Mental Disorder: WHO’, 17th June 2022, accessed 30th September 2024, https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120682
Arthur Dobrin, ‘What Value Do You Put on a Life?’ Psychology Today, 30th May 2020, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/am-i-right/202005/what-value-do-you-put-on-a-life
Herzfeld, Michael, ‘Global Kinship: Anthropology and the Politics of Knowing’, Anthropogical Quartely 80, No.2 (2007): 313-23, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.jstor.org/stable/300053056
Neil deGrasse Tyson Quote, ‘Some claim evolution…’ A-Z Quotes, 2024, accessed 30th September 2024, https://www.azquotes.com/quote/631644?ref=kinship
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