the lost man chronicles
the madness of apathy .78

This morning I heard Beethoven's Rage, Over a Lost Penny (Op. 129). Known as either an "andante favori" or " Rondo a capriccio" piece, the feverish pace and high notes make this capricious rendering all-too superciliously predictable.

Albeit, seemingly trivial by what ever means one tries to comprehend the emotions which provoke, and subsequently are evoked by the composition, the knowing might immediately understand a profounder meaning deeper than the obvious frivolity.

Following the path of unfettered genius, the creative force often exhausts the relatively most important matters which inspire one to create—nascent love, the meaning(less) of life, lust, fear, frustration, the awesome power of nature and our own (human nature), loss, and lost love, amongst a few hackneyed others.

At these junctures of exhaustion, the crossroads where one's imagination must take the road not taken, the tireless muse infuses us with energy that ignites the synaptic fireworks that compel one to connect her vexing efforts to something, regardless of how inconsequential the subject may seem to be.

"Write about 'Rage,' even it is over losing a penny. Just express something with your prodigious store of talent!," the divine conspirator seemingly implored. Otherwise, like Amadeus—risk the madness of apathy—which our mortal shell befalls upon our restless minds.

***

"So special does the Exemplary Creator feel that she appears willing to enter into special arrangements- a Faustian bargain- to maintain the flow that comes from effective, innovative work. For E.C., this bargain involves masochism and unbecoming behavior to ward others, and , on occasion, the feeling of a direct pact with God. E.C. works nearly all the time, making tremendous demands on herself and on others, constantly raising the ante. "

~ Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham and Gandhi; Howard Gardner






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