Sunday, December 13, 2009

Who's running this show, anyway?




Traumatic events lock a part of us away. That part forms a snapshot of our adaptation to the pressures we were facing at the time. They accumulate. We collect and organize them, mostly without thinking. Then boom! you're all grown up and that family album of snapshots has become a force so close to you it's nearly invisible. It's the you that figured out how to survive at five, or seven, or ten, when the world came up to your sense of innocence and took a big bite out of it.

Trauma's always aimed at the heart. We react instinctively to defend her. What's being defended, though: the heart or the family album? The adult or the ten-year-old?

Be a scientist. Examine where your feelings are coming from. Spell it out for yourself and see if it's as convincing on paper as it is in your head. You aren't a car doomed to be driven by the terrified one inside all that armor. You can choose to take the wheel yourself. You've got that right.

7 comments:

Jonathan Ryder said...

Awesome Ant! Love the drawing too :)

Unknown said...

Love the drawing Ant!..oh ,,and the words as well :)

T' said...

Lots to think about, Ant.

TienTien said...

That's an interesting thought. And very awesome drawing!

joefeinsilver said...

I feel like I have seen your latest posts in my nightmares. Amazing blog and powerful images, keep up the great work:)

Nathan Fowkes said...

Just back from your website. Really great work.

Elephantiasis said...

A much-belated thank-you to you all. It's seriously encouraging to get feedback from so many talents.