[BLOG] Amy Winehouse: Leonie Fights The Good Fight
You know it’s bad when I start quoting John Donne.
Not in reference to anyone in particular but the moment I see a comment about not caring about someone’s death, I immediately start quoting “No Man Is An Island”. Y’know the one.
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
I first posted this after Michael Jackson died, a time which was filled with far nastier sentiments than now in the aftermath of Amy Winehouse’s passing. The sick jokes seem milder, this time. More people seem sympathetic to poor darling ill-fated Amy. I’m loathe to use the word tragic in relation to her because a bold, expansive character with a voice like a savvy wisecracking Motown Diva soaked in vodka and fags could never be described in a word I personally perceive as passive.
Modern life is HARD for all of us. We all deal with in our own ways, we all have coping mechanisms and we all lean on a variety of crutches. Some of which are more self-destructive than others. Life as a celebrity, as a paparazzi target and as the target of vile rumour and mistruth must be horrendous at times. You probably don’t have the first clue who to trust, who to cling to when the rain comes in. Help is probably out there; I wouldn’t know, I haven’t touched that water as my anxiety drugs are prescription. But the first step against addiction is that you’ve got to want help with all your heart and being. And you’ve got to have hope. You’ve got to be able to look to the future with teeth gritted and utter determination to leave the bad behind. Who knows what Amy was thinking and feeling, other than those nearest and dearest to her. I certainly don't and wouldn't presume to do so.
Most particularly “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.” be they Amy Winehouse or the Norwegian victims of the atrocity this last week. We all have to die, yes we do, but we should all be able to reach a grand old age and die peacefully with our loved ones around us. And we should all feel terribly sad whenever anyone far too young dies well before their time. A dear, beloved good man who I loved with all my heart died of Cancer at 26 and he was angry - he didn’t want to die. He still had so much life to live. The victims of the Oslo shooting and bombing still had so much life to live and it was stolen away by a man seemingly addled with his perceptions of his extremist beliefs. Amy Winehouse died alone at home, possibly intentionally and possibly not - either way, it’s wrong. People do die before their time, this is true, Life, LIFE is cruel. Life is an utter bastard. It takes good people away, it burdens the talented and allows mad men to kill the innocent. Life, LIFE!! DO YOU HEAR ME!! DO YOU HEAR ME!! You screw with us! Good people die young, and cheats and hacks prosper, and hearts and minds stay closed. You are cruel and you can be capricious.
If we could all just open our hearts and minds, and lift up our fellow man, hold him up, support him, don’t let him be isolated, bring him gently into our fold...
Then Amy Winehouse might still be with us and those Norwegian teenagers might still be enjoying their weekend camp.
I feel that very keenly and wish everyone else did, too.
But y’know; it’s up to you. My dear friend C and I have, this morning agreed to differ on the subject of Amy Winehouse but our friendship has remained intact. Because we acknowledge and understand that love and friendship is more important than arguing over something we don’t agree on. We’ve respected and defended each other’s right to our opinions. I think there’s not much in friendship greater than that.
So, if you’ll indulge me; love and acceptance and kindness and friendship, my dear beloveds. We’re all in this together! We’ve only got one life - let’s make it the best we can, for each other.
Not in reference to anyone in particular but the moment I see a comment about not caring about someone’s death, I immediately start quoting “No Man Is An Island”. Y’know the one.
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
I first posted this after Michael Jackson died, a time which was filled with far nastier sentiments than now in the aftermath of Amy Winehouse’s passing. The sick jokes seem milder, this time. More people seem sympathetic to poor darling ill-fated Amy. I’m loathe to use the word tragic in relation to her because a bold, expansive character with a voice like a savvy wisecracking Motown Diva soaked in vodka and fags could never be described in a word I personally perceive as passive.
Modern life is HARD for all of us. We all deal with in our own ways, we all have coping mechanisms and we all lean on a variety of crutches. Some of which are more self-destructive than others. Life as a celebrity, as a paparazzi target and as the target of vile rumour and mistruth must be horrendous at times. You probably don’t have the first clue who to trust, who to cling to when the rain comes in. Help is probably out there; I wouldn’t know, I haven’t touched that water as my anxiety drugs are prescription. But the first step against addiction is that you’ve got to want help with all your heart and being. And you’ve got to have hope. You’ve got to be able to look to the future with teeth gritted and utter determination to leave the bad behind. Who knows what Amy was thinking and feeling, other than those nearest and dearest to her. I certainly don't and wouldn't presume to do so.
Most particularly “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.” be they Amy Winehouse or the Norwegian victims of the atrocity this last week. We all have to die, yes we do, but we should all be able to reach a grand old age and die peacefully with our loved ones around us. And we should all feel terribly sad whenever anyone far too young dies well before their time. A dear, beloved good man who I loved with all my heart died of Cancer at 26 and he was angry - he didn’t want to die. He still had so much life to live. The victims of the Oslo shooting and bombing still had so much life to live and it was stolen away by a man seemingly addled with his perceptions of his extremist beliefs. Amy Winehouse died alone at home, possibly intentionally and possibly not - either way, it’s wrong. People do die before their time, this is true, Life, LIFE is cruel. Life is an utter bastard. It takes good people away, it burdens the talented and allows mad men to kill the innocent. Life, LIFE!! DO YOU HEAR ME!! DO YOU HEAR ME!! You screw with us! Good people die young, and cheats and hacks prosper, and hearts and minds stay closed. You are cruel and you can be capricious.
If we could all just open our hearts and minds, and lift up our fellow man, hold him up, support him, don’t let him be isolated, bring him gently into our fold...
Then Amy Winehouse might still be with us and those Norwegian teenagers might still be enjoying their weekend camp.
I feel that very keenly and wish everyone else did, too.
But y’know; it’s up to you. My dear friend C and I have, this morning agreed to differ on the subject of Amy Winehouse but our friendship has remained intact. Because we acknowledge and understand that love and friendship is more important than arguing over something we don’t agree on. We’ve respected and defended each other’s right to our opinions. I think there’s not much in friendship greater than that.
So, if you’ll indulge me; love and acceptance and kindness and friendship, my dear beloveds. We’re all in this together! We’ve only got one life - let’s make it the best we can, for each other.