The American psychoanalyst Michael Eigen about living in an
age of psychopathy:
„...one thing that psychopathy means is not having guilt
over inflicting pain or hurting others. It means not feeling that we shouldn´t
do something because it might cause a lot of damage and make people unhappy.
Psychopaths do something because they want to win; or they want to solidify
their position on top so that the other person loses. In that scenario,
inflicting pain or damage becomes part of winning – a victorious, ambitious push
to the top. So the psychopath is someone who doesn´t suffer if the other person
suffers. (...)
...it´s a human thing. But it´s
exaggerated in our capitalistic system in which democracy has degenerated into
the pursuit of money and the way money has become elevated over the importance
of feelings. It doesn´t matter what you feel, in other words, as long as you
make money.“ Quoted from an interview with Michael Eigen in: Dialogues with
Michael Eigen. Psyche Singing, p. 57ff.
This is in my view a very profound
analysis of what is happening in our western world right now. What is the
relation to art? Well, art is one of the last realms where humans insist on
feeling, with oneself and with others. Artist are able to show that being human
is not the same as being homo economicus.
But of course artists are at the
same time part of this age of psychopathy and they are infected by this system
to a certain degree, too. But artist might be able to become aware of it and
face the situation. And maybe bring it into an artistic form?
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