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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perception, not the truth.Marcus Aurelius
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Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan, 1885
Ugh, I love this painting so much.
Just some background stuff, Ivan the Terrible was the Tsar of Russia for most of the 16th Century. In I think 1581, he caught his daughter-in-law wearing ‘immodest clothing in front of everyone’ and struck her. She was apparently pregnant and she may or may not have had a miscarriage because of it.
Ivan’s son and the girl’s husband, also named Ivan after his father, hears about it and gets into a really heated argument with his father that ends with Ivan the Terrible taking a swing at his son with his pointed staff. It’s said that he immediately fell down and kissed his son’s face, pressing his hands against his left temple to try to stop the bleeding. He famously screamed “May I be damned! I’ve killed my son! I’ve killed my son!” His son briefly regained consciousness and his last words were “I die as a devoted son and most humble servant.”And, interestingly, medical historians are almost certain that Ivan the Terrible is in the final stages of syphilis by the time he kills his son - in fact, it is probable it is the reason he killed his son. Untreated, syphillis leads to insanity as the spirochetes attack brain tissue, and, ultimately, death.
Such an amazing painting.
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I’m trying to teach myself to stop, appreciate and love everything more, even the things I don’t really like, because surely our dislikes define us as much as our likes?
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Int.: Tell us a joke.
J: Your life has meaning.Int.: Tell us a secret.
J: Your life has meaning.Joss Whedon, in an interview with the Guardian. -
Right, our challenge is to convince all of them that we’re normal.My partner, regarding the family holiday we’re going on today.
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Johnny’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine,
I’m on the pavement, thinking about the government.Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues. -
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