I too agree with so many of the sentiments expressed. But I disagree with the final imperative. I do not wish to have to live my life to the fullest day after day. Could life please be a little less immodest and expect a little less from me.
JB
Juilan Bonmottier
4 years ago
I heartily agree with so many of the sentiments expressed in this piece. Thank you. The ‘blitz spirit’ approach in response to so much of this Covid crisis does little more than denigrate the emotional reality of the situation for so many up and down the country. I understand the temptation to fall into omnipotent defences against all the pain of the situation -fighters will survive etc…, but it just gets in the way of acknowledging the reality and truth of all the suffering and loss. We are then prevented from responding in a truly humane way. I think the ways in which people are dying and being buried says a great deal about the need to cover up a very unbearable reality but ultimately we need to mourn, and to mourn properly, if we are ever to work through the loss. The psychoanalyst Winnicott famously aspired to be alive at the moment of his dying, and I think this articulates a current need to be alive to the dying that is ever present, especially in this time.
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I too agree with so many of the sentiments expressed. But I disagree with the final imperative. I do not wish to have to live my life to the fullest day after day. Could life please be a little less immodest and expect a little less from me.
I heartily agree with so many of the sentiments expressed in this piece. Thank you. The ‘blitz spirit’ approach in response to so much of this Covid crisis does little more than denigrate the emotional reality of the situation for so many up and down the country. I understand the temptation to fall into omnipotent defences against all the pain of the situation -fighters will survive etc…, but it just gets in the way of acknowledging the reality and truth of all the suffering and loss. We are then prevented from responding in a truly humane way. I think the ways in which people are dying and being buried says a great deal about the need to cover up a very unbearable reality but ultimately we need to mourn, and to mourn properly, if we are ever to work through the loss. The psychoanalyst Winnicott famously aspired to be alive at the moment of his dying, and I think this articulates a current need to be alive to the dying that is ever present, especially in this time.