When I was young, all the way through high school, I too saw the good in people, and just ignored the bad, telling myself their apparent and clear bad faults were not important and did not characterize such persons. I am not here talking about situational moral failings, which we can all succumb to, but fatal character flaws such as greed, narcissim and arrogance or hubris.
Ignoring such was both naive and dishonest on my part; it was reading through great literature, including all of the Russian greats and all of George Eliot's novels (sorry, I prefer her to Austen or even Dickens among English writers) while pursing a degree in journalism and Eng. Lit, that I learned a lot about myself.
I had an epiphany; it was not that I thought people were good. It was that I thought that if I had acted as if people were good, they would act accordingly. This never was confirmed as true, other than in my imagination.
This epiphany happened 30 years ago. It was literature that helped me enter that realm of where I saw reality and could live with it. Humans behave in all kinds of ways--good, bad and ugly. Most of us fit into this category.
Literature also taught me much about humility, and the Greek tragedies about hubris. I will end here by saying that I hope your brother sorted things out.
As far as my brother is concerned, the criminal charges were overturned by the high court; and he succeeded in gaining access to his children. Sadly, the stress took its toll. He developed cancer and passed away four years after the resolution.
I think many young people are inclined to see the good in others, and fail to perceive fatal character flaws. That is why fairy tales are so important. And great literature. It is interesting you mention Eliot, because 'Middlemarch' was the novel that made me first consider my own blindness. I perceived many parallels between myself and Dorothea Brooke; but it took me a decade to act on that insight. Austen, I think, has an elegance all her own, which can often mask how very attuned she is to the reality of grave fault of character. For instance, the dysfunction of the Bennet family is quite apparent when you understand narcissistic personality disorder.
It was through writing that I had an epiphany similar to the one you describe. Having to create an antagonist made me seriously consider character flaws and disordered personalities. The mirror cracked. Reality has never been the same since. Literature has subsequently reinforced my understanding. Tolstoy, in particular, is extremely good at depicting the good, the bad, and the ugly in character and relationships. It is very consoling.
This indeed is why literature is so important, as my youngest son keeps telling me.
I am so sorry to hear about your brother's death from cancer. Stress is a major factor in our health; and it is best to keep it to a minimum where and when possible. The natural world aids me in this effort. Birds in particular.
Stress is always a signal that something isn't right. And nature is a beautiful way to combat it. God's remedy, you could say. For me, it's the sea. I could watch the sea for hours.
I applaud you for this, Annette. Your post reminds me of the book I'm currently reading by Joanna Penn, "Writing the Shadow," which is about channeling our inner darkness into our writing without shying away from it. I'm learning to write the things that scare me, because I think those are the parts that need a light shone on them. Thank you for sharing this. Wonderful post!
Thank you! I am really surprised at the impact this one has had. I had serious doubts about publishing it. Substack has proved a very interesting experience for me as an author, both in terms of self-expression and connecting with others.
When I was young, all the way through high school, I too saw the good in people, and just ignored the bad, telling myself their apparent and clear bad faults were not important and did not characterize such persons. I am not here talking about situational moral failings, which we can all succumb to, but fatal character flaws such as greed, narcissim and arrogance or hubris.
Ignoring such was both naive and dishonest on my part; it was reading through great literature, including all of the Russian greats and all of George Eliot's novels (sorry, I prefer her to Austen or even Dickens among English writers) while pursing a degree in journalism and Eng. Lit, that I learned a lot about myself.
I had an epiphany; it was not that I thought people were good. It was that I thought that if I had acted as if people were good, they would act accordingly. This never was confirmed as true, other than in my imagination.
This epiphany happened 30 years ago. It was literature that helped me enter that realm of where I saw reality and could live with it. Humans behave in all kinds of ways--good, bad and ugly. Most of us fit into this category.
Literature also taught me much about humility, and the Greek tragedies about hubris. I will end here by saying that I hope your brother sorted things out.
As far as my brother is concerned, the criminal charges were overturned by the high court; and he succeeded in gaining access to his children. Sadly, the stress took its toll. He developed cancer and passed away four years after the resolution.
I think many young people are inclined to see the good in others, and fail to perceive fatal character flaws. That is why fairy tales are so important. And great literature. It is interesting you mention Eliot, because 'Middlemarch' was the novel that made me first consider my own blindness. I perceived many parallels between myself and Dorothea Brooke; but it took me a decade to act on that insight. Austen, I think, has an elegance all her own, which can often mask how very attuned she is to the reality of grave fault of character. For instance, the dysfunction of the Bennet family is quite apparent when you understand narcissistic personality disorder.
It was through writing that I had an epiphany similar to the one you describe. Having to create an antagonist made me seriously consider character flaws and disordered personalities. The mirror cracked. Reality has never been the same since. Literature has subsequently reinforced my understanding. Tolstoy, in particular, is extremely good at depicting the good, the bad, and the ugly in character and relationships. It is very consoling.
This indeed is why literature is so important, as my youngest son keeps telling me.
I am so sorry to hear about your brother's death from cancer. Stress is a major factor in our health; and it is best to keep it to a minimum where and when possible. The natural world aids me in this effort. Birds in particular.
Stress is always a signal that something isn't right. And nature is a beautiful way to combat it. God's remedy, you could say. For me, it's the sea. I could watch the sea for hours.
I applaud you for this, Annette. Your post reminds me of the book I'm currently reading by Joanna Penn, "Writing the Shadow," which is about channeling our inner darkness into our writing without shying away from it. I'm learning to write the things that scare me, because I think those are the parts that need a light shone on them. Thank you for sharing this. Wonderful post!
I'll have to check out that book. Thank you for your kind words, Tiffany. I was interested in what you would have to say.
What a fantastic article! I've subscribed and am looking forward to reading more.
Thank you! I am really surprised at the impact this one has had. I had serious doubts about publishing it. Substack has proved a very interesting experience for me as an author, both in terms of self-expression and connecting with others.