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Showing posts from June, 2009

On Hope

Pages written since last post : 4 (most of them e-mails to my agent) In a recent television special based on Michael J. Fox’s bestseller Always Looking Up , the question was posed: How can it be that, in the midst of the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the majority of Americans polled report that they are more hopeful now than ever? And later, Fox observes that in his own industry, acting, 99% of participants fail to make a living– yet almost every actor describes himself as an optimist. Is there something about the arts that attracts only optimists? Not if Chopin (manic-depressive), Van Gogh (there was that little cutting-off-of-the ear thing) or Hemingway (alcoholic) are examples. I think the answer may lie in the fact that the view from the bottom is, well, always up. The reason Americans feel hopeful now is because most people realize there’s no place to go but up. The reason those who try to make their living in the arts describe themselves as optimists is beca