Lutists,
First of all, do we know for sure that the suicide
rate is higher now than it was 400 years ago? I mean,
who kept track of the statistics then? I'll admit
that it seems probable that suicide wasn't very common
in the 1600's, but that might have more to do with a
Church that taught that an eternity of agony awaited
anyone who played God's part and took his or her own
life, to say nothing of the social stigma attached to
suicide.
Money surely isn't the issue - how do we explain
that suicide rates are very high among those on
welfare as well as those pulling in several figures?
CW
--- Herbert Ward <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I've read that the suicide rate has quadrupled in
> the past 60 years for
> young adult males, (and doubled for females).
>
> For example, in the paragraph "Suicide" in the
> section "Prevalence" in
> this Surgeon General's report:
>
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec5.html
>
>
> I've read similar figures in the "FBI Bulletin", in
> a major encyclopedia,
> and in the UTexas student newspaper.
>
> From this, it is reasonable to assume that modern
> lutenists operate in a
> profound general society-wide emotional deficit,
> compared to the period of
> their literature's production. This despite
> material plenty, large
> amounts of leisure time, better health, modern
> psychology, and almost
> unlimited entertainment.
>
> This assumption would raise several questions
> suitable for an Internet
> lute forum. I'll list some, despite the risk of
> appearing overly
> sophomoric. Do modern lutenists, as carriers of a
> historical esthetic,
> have means to ameliorate the situation? If so, is
> this a reason for the
> lute's recent increase in popularity? Is the
> malaise too pervasive to
> allow musical authenticity? If not, how do
> successful lutenists adapt?
>
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
>
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
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