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And for a Moment Everything Seemed Fine
Synopsis
This book is a treatise on suffering. It is the contention of this book, that we can use the suffering we encounter to improve our lives. It is a reflex, one that stems from encountering suffering, to a heightening of consciousness that it provides. This heightening of consciousness works to give us the grounds of possibility of improvement. The book argues it is an evolutionary mechanism, one that is steeped in thousands of years of humans encountering suffering.
When we encounter suffering, and our consciousness heightens - the mind manifests the conditions for its own improvement - whatever that may include. It could be anything, from a partner, to a job, to a house - to anything really.
You can see this movement in the history of art and poetry. People who suffered terribly for their art - like Van Gogh, or William Blake. They suffered, and put their suffering to use making their art great
The book is more than that, though. It is a book written in poetic prose, Fearne's favourite mode of writing. Reflections on suffering are interspersed within broader poetic resonances.
What will you do with your suffering?
Bio
Paul Fearne is a writer living and working in Melbourne, Australia. He has a masters on Beauty, and a PhD on schizophrenia. He has appeared on Radio National, and ABC News 24. He has launched at the Dax Centre. He co-hosted a radio show on 3CR on poetry and mental illness. During the pandemic he was regularly on the Brainwaves show as a guest. He spoke of 19th century poets he had written books on. Fearne had suffered through schizo-affective disorder for many years.
