Freud correctly observed that man's imagination fails while trying to imagine death. My good friend Currado Malaspina reached a similar conclusion after recently undergoing a medical procedure to remove a benign skin lesion below his left ear.
A fleeting glimpse of oblivion can result in several outcomes. Slapped with the realization of inevitable decay can be a deeply humbling experience. A realignment of values in favor of the ethical, a tilt toward selflessness and gratitude is a typical reaction under these circumstances.
This, of course, was not Malaspina's response at all. For Currado an epistemological approach toward rectitude is a non-starter. He wears his reputation as a trou-du-cul with great pride. His brief brush with mortality only amplified his narcissism.
"The brilliant flame of dissipation" (la flamme brillante de inconduite) is how he puts it, a life illuminated by sin. Nothing animates Malaspina more than the wretched glow of excess. Now that he has received his clean bill of health he is determined more than ever to satisfy his Caligula-like appetites in full.
"I am a monster," he told me the other day on the phone.
Yes, Currado but how's your prostate?
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| Lesion of Honor, watercolor on paper, Currado Malaspina, 2013 |
A fleeting glimpse of oblivion can result in several outcomes. Slapped with the realization of inevitable decay can be a deeply humbling experience. A realignment of values in favor of the ethical, a tilt toward selflessness and gratitude is a typical reaction under these circumstances.
This, of course, was not Malaspina's response at all. For Currado an epistemological approach toward rectitude is a non-starter. He wears his reputation as a trou-du-cul with great pride. His brief brush with mortality only amplified his narcissism.
"The brilliant flame of dissipation" (la flamme brillante de inconduite) is how he puts it, a life illuminated by sin. Nothing animates Malaspina more than the wretched glow of excess. Now that he has received his clean bill of health he is determined more than ever to satisfy his Caligula-like appetites in full.
"I am a monster," he told me the other day on the phone.
Yes, Currado but how's your prostate?
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