God bless Bruce. Thank you for sharing. May I request you to write, if you deem fit, what if he had lived if his friends would have sensed his needs and flailing, and how he would have paid them back?
This is so moving. I share your exact beliefs about the miraculousness of our lives, without the need for religiosity. I didn’t know Bruce, but I wish everyone could understand they are valuable.
Dec 28, 2022·edited Dec 28, 2022Liked by Iona Italia
On one hand, the rise of “professionalism” in the arts, which means you deliver a commodifiable product that has values that buyers will want on a commodifiable basis, and of broadcasting and publishing, as how we think the arts out to be done, have given us a lot of access to a lot of great creation. But they’ve done a lot of damage to art being a language that we all share. And they made a lot of people “failures” who are nothing of the kind. I am so sorry for your friend’s having internalized that, and for that having been part of why he died. The arts are one of the ways we love one another and love the world around us. To be able to call yourself a failure because your art isn’t broadcast or published widely enough for you to make a living at it is a sickness.
Each time that a history like this appears, I feel I crumble inside remembering my friend.
She had several suicide attempts, I think me and my wife perhaps avoided a bunch giving her a friendly ear and time and love.
One day we lost contact with her while she was abroad, and this time she succeed.
Until this very day I feel paradoxically guilty and egotistic because I think I could have made more to avoid her ending, and at the same time think of myself as a self centered monster that didn't respected her decision or her pain.
Iona, as a follower, fellow human, and I guess, a person feeling the same kind of pain, my most sincere condolences and a big hug, because keeping alive the memory of your friend is biggest honour you can have for him.
Thank you for soldiering through six years to carve this out today. If we live long enough, we’ll all probably know someone who takes his own life. You give comfort. I hope you can take some, too.
God bless Bruce. Thank you for sharing. May I request you to write, if you deem fit, what if he had lived if his friends would have sensed his needs and flailing, and how he would have paid them back?
This is so moving. I share your exact beliefs about the miraculousness of our lives, without the need for religiosity. I didn’t know Bruce, but I wish everyone could understand they are valuable.
On one hand, the rise of “professionalism” in the arts, which means you deliver a commodifiable product that has values that buyers will want on a commodifiable basis, and of broadcasting and publishing, as how we think the arts out to be done, have given us a lot of access to a lot of great creation. But they’ve done a lot of damage to art being a language that we all share. And they made a lot of people “failures” who are nothing of the kind. I am so sorry for your friend’s having internalized that, and for that having been part of why he died. The arts are one of the ways we love one another and love the world around us. To be able to call yourself a failure because your art isn’t broadcast or published widely enough for you to make a living at it is a sickness.
Each time that a history like this appears, I feel I crumble inside remembering my friend.
She had several suicide attempts, I think me and my wife perhaps avoided a bunch giving her a friendly ear and time and love.
One day we lost contact with her while she was abroad, and this time she succeed.
Until this very day I feel paradoxically guilty and egotistic because I think I could have made more to avoid her ending, and at the same time think of myself as a self centered monster that didn't respected her decision or her pain.
Iona, as a follower, fellow human, and I guess, a person feeling the same kind of pain, my most sincere condolences and a big hug, because keeping alive the memory of your friend is biggest honour you can have for him.
Thank you for sharing this story and your hard-won wisdom.
What a beautiful tribute Iona. And thank you for the reminders.
Thank you for soldiering through six years to carve this out today. If we live long enough, we’ll all probably know someone who takes his own life. You give comfort. I hope you can take some, too.
Thank you Iona
Thanks Iona for the beautiful words
Beautiful words Iona. Sorry for your loss.