UA-35670761-1 A Burnt Out Castle | Gigs Blog | PaulBryan.us

A Burnt Out Castle

The American Psychiatric Association awarded Irvin Yalom the 2000 Oscar Pfister Prize for important contributions to religion and psychology. His acceptance speech is definitely worth a read. (CLICK HERE.)

Yes, he seems to be styled by Alastair Crowley. Or maybe an extra in Rosemary’s Baby, but you can’t judge a book by it’s cover- even if that book looks at first glance to be
The Necronomicon.

yalom

Dr. Yalom is an American existential psychiatrist at Stanford University where he is a professor emeritus. I don’t know that much about him past his speech that I have linked to above... and his Wiki entry. The speech is one I have read many times over the years and find very inspiring. The reference to Nikos Kazantakis is right on time, every time. The inscription on his (Niko’s) tombstone reads: “ I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”

To achieve that kind of present in real time even for a moment may be too much for me to hope for, but I am equally inspired by another Nikos quote referenced in Yalom’s speech. “Leave nothing for life but a burnt out castle.” That seems within all of our grasp.
© 2017 Paul Bryan Contact