For some it’s all about control, for some it’s to forget, for others it’s just for fun, but whatever you’re addicted to, or for whatever reason, it’s a sickly sweet way down at first, until you tip over the edge. For most observers there’s the simple question of “Why can’t you just stop?”, but as every addict knows, it’s just not that transparent. There’s more going on than meets the eye, I can’t say for sure what that is for every person, but there’s that extra hook that pulls you in, that extra hook that makes you stay, and yet another hook that makes you want to, at least for some time. Dangerous? Certainly. But it hides behind an appealing mask, promising to solve all your problems. By putting the otherwise secret lives of addicts center stage people can learn to accept what they don’t know and avoid transforming addicts into an anathema, how I came to this acceptance quite a few years ago was through a book, or a few actually, one of which was Naked Lunch, penned by William S. Burroughs.
Brilliant – his words, dangerous – his topics, innovative – his style, remembered – forever. William S. Burroughs was a prominent member of the Beat Generation, a spoken word artist, an author, a painter, and an incredibly influential creative existence. Burroughs was an opiate addict for around fifty years, an experience that his writing stems from quite often. Burroughs represents the values that to me are some of the most important, and he has inspired me to do what I love, and love myself while doing it.
After reading Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical writing about addiction I really felt closer to him because he chronicles his experiences in such a way that most everyone would be able to relate to at some point in their life, and that is a greatly admirable accomplishment in my eyes. With his writing he is showing people not only that they are not alone in their vulnerability, but also that he is similar to them despite any qualities of his they may deem inferior.
William S. Burroughs broke boundaries with his art, his writing on subjects such as drugs and homosexuality was controversial for his time, and opened doors for those who followed. This inspires me to write about what I’m interested in and express my ideas even if it doesn’t follow the widely-accepted mindset, I aspire to open doors for those who follow me. He shared his story of addiction, and that too inspires me to share my story and do my part to reduce the unnecessary stigma around mental illness.
Burroughs himself was inspired by such creators as Céline and Rimbaud, and has influenced the work of great artists including Genesis P-Orridge, who I personally believe is exceedingly talented. To myself and the countless others to whom he was an inspiration, Burroughs represents not only the obvious; brilliant creativity, but innovation and courage. It is obvious that he was creative, but as an artist it was his innovation along with his creativity that caused his work to touch so many people. His courage touched people in other ways, it touched people reaching out to his writing for support in getting through tough times, it touched fellow addicts searching for someone with similar experiences, and it touched me when I needed to know that I wasn’t a substandard person for reasons beyond my control. William S. Burroughs helped me recognize that a person can have negative parts about them and still be completely wonderful, I want to carry that message on to others and help them realize that even the best of people are susceptible to imperfect things.
I feel like it still needs a lot of work though, I just don't know what exactly...
No comments:
Post a Comment