On the Threshold of Eternity

On the Threshold of Eternity


(final moments) "A dusty road dissects endless fields of wheat flanked by distant trees. A black bird, startled by the rattling sound of an old paint box, darts into the sky and disappears out of sight. Tall grass and wild flowers sway in the warm breeze that penetrates the bright sunlight of a summer day in the French countryside. The sky is punctuated with wispy clouds that resemble floating brush strokes on a pale blue canvas. At his favorite painting site, Vincent van Gogh quietly sits before a partially finished canvas, dipping and stirring his brush into a rich palette of oils. Today appears not unlike any other day; the morning walk to the fields, painting the landscape before lunch and later capturing the warm afternoon light. However, on this day, Vincent Van Gogh would paint for the last time.

"What lives in art and is eternally living, is first of all the painter, and then the painting."- Van Gogh

It is apparently quite common for writers, musicians, artists, scientists, performers, poets, and other creative talents to suffer from some sort of bipolar disorder and it has even been attributed to their creativity. The natural desire for success and the accompanying plethora of ideas during the state of mania and hypomania have been linked directly to being creative. Some people who suffer from bipolar disorder have mixed states, where they feel depressed and 'blue' but unlike clinical depression one in a mixed state may still feel 'always high'. It is one of the signature characteristics of bipolar disorder. They may have creative energy, racing thoughts, but experience a constant negative feeling as well.