Posted by Phil on July 15, 2001, at 20:09:05
In reply to They did not listen, they did not know how, posted by Mitchell on July 15, 2001, at 16:40:36
> > >I have a condition called keratonous …I have been wondering if Van Gogh had it too, (susanC)
>
> I can't diagnose Van Gogh's conditions, but perceptual anomalies have been identified as the basis for many mood disorders. Not all depression or ADHD is a result of any one perceptual condition, but many individuals whose perceptions are unique as a result of physical arrangement develop mood disorders as a product of their isolation. Some see (hear, taste, smell, feel or understand) the world differently and are ostracized for their differences.
>
> Confusing the message with the static, critics often claim a person is communicating a fundamentally flawed concept because the concept is related in a confused or confounding manner. Many times, people would rather accept an authoritative presentation of a fallacious concept than a distorted presentation of a fundamental truth. Unfortunately, the mood disorders that result when a unique person is ostracized can be more deep-seated and often remain, maybe partially controlled by some treatment, long after the perceptual anomaly has been resolved by often simple procedures such as a corrective lens or cognitive realignment.
>
> A gift or a curse? Some would speculate as to when long-passed artists (or living members of their community) were sick and when they were well. We celebrate their contribution, but sometimes attempt to surgically separate the underlying perceptual insight we appreciate from the pathological social and personal conditions that develop as a result of the difference. Some would appeal to a judge, pleading for an involuntary commitment and forced treatment. Others appeal to friends to orchestrate an intervention. Yet others might appeal directly to the affected individual, attempting to convince them of their inappropriate and ostensibly treatable difference. But when affected individuals contribute to our community, offering fresh perspectives, we hoist them on a pedestal. We hang on our walls the paintings of those whose perception is ordered differently than the norm, while asking the artist to return to their artists' quarter or their gilded mansion so as to not violate our sense of normality.
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> I wonder if we truly grieve for their pain. Or do we, intoxicated with the longing and desire of a romantic culture, grieve for ourselves that we cannot at once have the same expanded cerebral capacity for hearing and touch as a blind person while still enjoying pleasure of 20/20 vision.
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> Though my life has gone on decades longer than I hoped or planned, some communities deeply appreciate my creative contributions. I carefully quarantine my inner self so that those who enjoy the banquets I serve will not injure me when they become frustrated over the source of the insights I serve. Full access to my soul is reserved for the few who will not attempt to rearrange me to suit their romantic notions.
>
> http://www.vangoghgallery.com/index.html
poster:Phil
thread:7117
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010706/msgs/7483.html