"it only takes 6 or 8 inept political leaders
or 8 or 10 artsy-fartsy writers, composers, and painters to
set the natural course of human progress
back
50 years
or more,
which may not seem like much to you
but it's over half of your lifetime,
during which time you're not going to be able to
hear, see, read, or feel that
necessary gift or great art which
otherwise you could have experienced,
which may not seem tragic to you
but sometimes, perhaps, when you're not feeling so
good at
night or in the morning or at
noon,
maybe what you feel that's lacking is
what should be there for
you
but is not.
and I don't mean a blonde in
sheer pantyhose,
I'm talking about what gnaws at your guts
even when she's
there."
-Charles Bukowski
