This is not at all the post I intended when I sat down to write this morning. It can keep.
As I went in search of a link for a quote I wanted to share in my original post, I stumbled upon writer, Andrew Solomon’s, TEDMED 2013 talk: Love, No Matter What.
Given that Love is Always the Answer is one of my beliefs, I could not resist clicking on the title of his talk.
Andrew begins his talk with these words,
“Even in purely non-religious terms, homosexuality represents a misuse of the sexual faculty. It is a pathetic little second-rate substitute for reality — a pitiable flight from life. As such, it deserves no compassion, it deserves no treatment as minority martyrdom, and it deserves not to be deemed anything but a pernicious sickness.” That’s from Time magazine in 1966.
Later, he quotes an article in The Atlantic Monthly, voice of liberal America — written by an important bioethicist who, in 1968, on the subject of Down syndrome children, said to millions of Americans,
“There is no reason to feel guilty about putting a Down syndrome child away, whether it is put away in the sense of hidden in a sanitarium or in a more responsible, lethal sense. It is sad, yes — dreadful. But it carries no guilt. True guilt arises only from an offense against a person, and a Down’s is not a person.”
I read Andrew’s first book, The Noonday Devil: An atlas of depression, a year after it was released in 2001. I was in the dark, dark, days of a relationship going very, very wrong. I knew I was in a depression. I didn’t know how to ‘get out of it’ and was searching for answers outside myself. The answer to my depression was not ‘out there’. It was within me all along. It came from accepting I was not in a relationship of love gone wrong. I was in an abusive situation. It came from accepting I was abused. I did things I wasn’t proud, and I was still worthy of love. It came from acceptance of me, just the way I was, in all my warts, with all my Beauty and the Beast complexities. In acceptance, Love had room to flow. In Love, all things were possible, including loving myself even when I didn’t think I deserved it.
After devouring every word of his 20 minute TEDMED talk, I intend on reading his latest book, Far From The Tree.
Don’t tell anyone…. I’m hoping for rain this weekend so I can curl up and read!
Give yourself the gift of 20 minutes of enlightenment this morning with Andrew Solomon.
Dare Boldly 
I couldn’t agree with you more that love is absolutely the answer to everything. I’m grabbing my cup of coffee now…Andrew Soloman here I come.
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♥ 🙂 ♥
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So thoroughly enjoyed this snippet of Andrew Solomon…Thank you!! I have not heard of him before but he is a kind, loving man who spreads the message of love with his whole being. Thanks Louise!! I will research more of his work 🙂 Have a super weekend!
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I hope your weekend is as super as mine Lorrie — I spent time in the garden, and in the studio yesterday. 🙂 what can be better than that? So glad you enjoyed the video — I am not reading his book yet… it isn’t raining. tee hee! OUr summer’s are so short here, I don’t want to miss a moment of its pleasure!
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Yes…Louise…don’t miss it! I am a “hot” person…and I think I sometimes take for granted where I live. I am getting ready to go north for the summer. When I lived there year round I had a vegetable garden a few summers…it was so great to eat what we had grown! Is your garden flower or vegetable? Because I LOVE LOVE LOVE all flowers!!! So happy you are vibrating high 🙂
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Wow some harsh words above uttered by fellow humans Louise. I love your ‘Love is always the answer,’ approach.
Diana xo
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Thanks Diana — if you get a chance to watch the video — do — it is quite heart-warming and inspiring.
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Andrew, like you, one of the wise people in the world. Thank you for sharing. xx
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Thank you Laura! Hugs my friend.
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Those words were so shocking to hear. I’m looking forward to watching his TedTalk and will check out the book too!
Thank you Louise for bringing this to our attention as a reminder to keep making a difference through love and compassion.
hugs,
Val x
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Just watched it. Tears. Smiles. Love. Awesome! Thank YOU 🙂
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Oh well, Val, as I mentioned to Lorrie — I haven’t gotten to the book yet… it’s a beautiful weekend and too nice to spend reading. It’s perfect, get in the garden and create in the earth kind of weather. 🙂
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Oh Louise. I CRIED through this Ted talk.
The difference and the sameness of love and acceptance.
It is profound.
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I thought so too Elizabeth — really profound and so beautiful. Hugs.
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Thanks a million,this could not have come at a better time. Louise you bring such light to the world, Thankyou Andrea mexico
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Andrea! How lovely to hear from you — are you in Mexico permanently now… blessings to you my friend. Let me know next time you’re in the city. I’d love to connect. Hugs
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Andrew’s talk brought up so much for me; the greatest being ‘love is everything’ – hopefully it is mixed with ‘acceptance’ that allows all of us our uniqueness.
Another wonderful post, Louise.
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So important Carolyn — to allow the acceptance to highlight our uniqueness. I thought that was one of the most powerful aspects of his talk. Hugs.
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Yes yes yes I so agree
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:)!
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I read ‘Far From the Tree’ earlier this year. It’s a magnificent book. And ‘The Noonday Devil’, also terrific. He writes with such understanding and empathy.
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So true Maureen — he inspires me to dig deep into empathy and stand in Love.
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Talk about synchronicity. I was scrolling through posts on your blog after realizing that my reader has been dropping people and I’ve not seen your posts lately. Just as I got down to this one, the next set of guests on Charlie Rose showed up and there was Andrew Solomon, on one of the episodes from Charlie’s brain series. I’d actually seen it before. But I’ve never read anything of his. I think I’ve been poked…
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Wow — that is synchronicity in action — and yup. I’d say you’ve been poked! 🙂
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