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The Canvas Humanity Paints
One fine morning on the coast of Laguna Beach I traveled with the intent of writing in a more inspirational setting and accomplished the goal. There was a mist in the air, the sun was hidden by clouds, there was enough of a breeze to be refreshing; I had it all. A weatherworn bench awaited me positioned right in front of the surf. Across from me a young artist from Israel was travelling with his fellow students on a scholarship to sell their exquisite paintings. Although I knew my mission was to write I thought I'd glance at a few of his pieces. Each picture drew me into the special place in the artist's mind. One of them was the artist's conception of what heaven would be. It was so simple-a tree on an island with the sun casting brilliant rays, a homely sailboat, and a rustic house. He added that the only thing missing in the painting was his dog to keep him company. What does a random artist's works have to do with writing, let alone epilepsy? Well, as I sat there on my bench I began to really pay attention to my surroundings and what made it special. I conceptualized what this scene would look like in a still life only with some major alterations. The "canvas" or reality is painted assuming that rather than looking at the potential 2% of the population with epilepsy; 100% of the people have epilepsy and are intractable! This is where I take your hand and you walk inside the painting with me. This ordinary beach scene is going to look quite different and even disturbing so be prepared. First off, many of the people would be missing, as they would have chose to remain at home. More predominant would be the seagulls circling overhead for handouts. The sound of waves crashing but there would be very few, if any, swimming. If some dared to delight in a "pleasant swim" a caregiver or attendant would be close at hand for safety's sake. The relaxed faces of parents would morph into worried grimaces for their suffering children that no amount of love can cure. Carefree sand-covered children in darling bathing suits would be replaced with many tots sitting on the sidelines watching and hoping their health allowed them more. Laughing would be kept to a silent hush. The innocent jungle gym would appear as a towering giant, much to dangerous, much to risky in case of a sudden fall. So there it would rise like a lonely skeleton void of the sound of play.
The copyright of the article The Canvas Humanity Paints (4 Parts) in Epilepsy is owned by . Permission to republish The Canvas Humanity Paints (4 Parts) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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