By Dan Hagen
Between 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., well before dawn in the
silence of the solarium with blanketed beagle and book, is one of the best
hours of each day.
Right now, I’m reading bios of Cheever and Chayefsky, driven
and intense men whose scalpel-sharp wits worked to keep people at a safe
distance from their insecurities. They were men tortured by their own
sensitivity who had penetrating insight into the human and social condition.
“A page of good prose remains invincible,” Cheever said. Yes. Unlike the person who created it.
Sensitive intelligence can be an expensive gift, but it’s
not a luxury. It’s necessary for the advancement and defense of civilization.
I realized that this same situation applies to a number of
people I know, several friends and students. What they sometimes experience as
a flaw and a burden in their personalities is a powerful gift, but the
connection may not be readily apparent.
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