Nick

"From Alaska to Yucatan it's the same story. Nature dominates, Nature wins out. Everywhere the same fundamental urge to slay, to ravage, to plunder. Outwardly they seem like a fine, upstanding people-healthy, optimistic, corageous. Inwardly they are filled with worms. A tiny spark and they blow up... It seems everywhere I go there is drama. People are like lice-they get under your skin and bury themselves there. You can scratch and scratch until the blood comes, but you can't get permanantly deloused. Everywhere I go people are making a mess of their lives. Everyone has his private tragedy. It's in the blood now-misfortune, ennui, grief, suicide. The atmosphere is saturated with disaster, frustration, futility. Scratch and scratch-until there's no skin left. However, the effect upon me is exhilarating. Instead of being discouraged, or depressed, I enjoy it. I am crying for more and more disasters, for bigger calamities, for grander failures. I want the whole world to be out of whack, I want everyone to scratch himself to death." -Henry Miller