The Dancer by betsisanders 09

Title: The Dancer
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 8 x 11 inches
Artist: betsisanders 09

This painting is included in "Calm 2009", my latest Digital Art Exhibit. I wrote about how much I love dance music and throwing parties. I mentioned how this boy, a nephew of my husband, clapped his hands, tapped his feet, swayed to the beat of disco music "Low" & "Suicidal"... he was nodding his head, making some sounds, unaffected, impervious to his cousins' inhibitions and lack of visible reactions, ignoring the people around him who were all pretending or acting as if there was no dance music playing. He was having a great time, simply having a fun happy moment. The boy is Khryzt, a boy with autism. These special children with autism are devoid of shallow worries, always in a state of blankness, never holding any grudges, protected by their mental state, never knowing how and what it feels to be alive.... or are they more alive than us, than his 'normal' cousins... I wonder?

>>>
Graham Greene wondered how those people who do not write, compose, paint, escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in all of us. He must have only considered those very few gifted, intelligent, smart individuals. Greene must have missed the vast majority, who in one way or another, alleviate their melancholia by singing, dancing, playing sports... those highly energetic "physical" persons.

The younger generation makes use of technology to reach out, to express themselves. They have video diaries, photo journals and blogs, which the older ones (like me) have recently discovered to be very useful tools in expressing thoughts, communicating and interacting with not just family and friends, but to many other wonderful people in the www - world wide web.

Those people who have not found a way to express themselves, are probably unhappy. The 'noonday demon' , depression, as described by Andrew Solomon, is their constant visitor and companion.

Some people use depression to bring out all kinds of helping behaviors from family and friends. They need a higher level of attention than you would expect. They use depression to relive their burdens or to avoid taking responsibility for their own lives. Financial, emotional and even behavioral issues or problems are taken cared of by friends and family. They simply claim to be too sick, too depressed, and demand that friends and family around them need to come through for them. They use depression to get more attention. They use their tears to gain sympathy, support , even material things from those closest to them.

They use depression as a power play. They make lots of demands on the people around them. They put themselves at the center of the lives of their family and friends. They can even use depression to blackmail friends into feeling sorry for them... and people often take the side of the person who cries loudest.

When one is depressed, one demands the love of others. And yet this depression causes you to destroy the love that is often given. Most of these depressed persons stick needles into their own life rafts. So, friends and family abandon their 'sinking ship".

No one wants to be sick all the time. When you feel a tummy ache, or a chest ache you visit an internist. When you have a rash, you visit a dermatologist. But when you are always in a bad mood, you go into denial.... you self medicate by taking sleeping pills, or drink liquor or even chain smoke profusely. Very few people accept that there is something wrong with their mind and avoid seeking professional psychiatric help. Then when relationships have been destroyed because of this depression, this 'pity me" attitude, "no one loves me or understands me" attitude... the depressed person blaims her friend, the one who has consistently listened to her problems, the friend who was the midnight counselor who was always on call, the friend who tried to help and solve some if not all of her problems. But in the end, the loyal friend is now an enemy, only because the friend needed some breathing space, needed to jump off the sinking ship, needed some time alone for her own self, needed to protect her self from being dragged down by this depressed individual. The friend has become the foe of the depressed person. They have a 'falling out" of sorts, had gone off in separate ways. The friend walked away to save herself from drowning. While the depressed person blaims her for all the misunderstanding. She is right and the helpful friend is the bad guy, the villain in her life. She claims never to have abused the helpful friend, but have forgotten their midnight counsellings, the cakes, the pastas, the care and love that was given to her and her family. She may not have abused but has definitely USED her friend.

If only this depressed person has found a way to express herself, transform her monstrous evil thoughts into art works, cakes, love songs, or have danced the night away. Then, she would probably still have her friend by her side, and more friends around her. But no dear, she has chosen to push her friend away.

Depression, the noonday demon, as described by Andrew Solomon, must be her constant companion.

So, dance or sing the night away with "I Love the Nightlife" ... create art, bake delicious cakes, write or blog, take photographs of spring flowers, explore and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us, play badminton, swim 20 laps in your pool daily, go on short trips with nice girls, indulge in decadent desserts,,, but never ever allow the noonday demon to dominate your life.

Life is too short to be unhappy. Let go... of bad thoughts. Fill your mind with wonderful thoughts. Listen to people who love you even if you don't believe that they are worth living for. Remove or block out the monstrous thoughts that invade your mind. Avoid persons who have nothing good to say, or those who waste time with gossip. Steer clear of emotionally damaging behavior or separate from people whose behavior is damaging to yourself. Avoid anything and everything that makes you unhappy.

So, DANCE, SING, PAINT, WRITE... PARTY... let go and let God!


betsisanders 09 ---- dawn July 26, 2009