Thursday 16 December 2010

‘Any Human Heart’

“Never say you know the last word about any human heart”. The words belong to Henry James, and that last glowing phrase was borrowed by the novelist William Boyd for the title of his 2002 novel, ‘Any Human Heart’. I haven’t read the book but I have been watching the TV adaptation of it over the last few weeks (it’s out on DVD later this month if you missed it).

I won’t spoil the story for those who don’t know it, but its interweaving of the themes of memory and desire, regret and appreciation, betrayal and commitment, through seventy years and more of the protagonist’s life was portrayed with great delicacy, pathos and humour in the TV adaptation. It’s rare to see a work that manages to capture visually the way in which fragments of our life from childhood onwards are still alive and resonant as our lives move on - how memories from decades ago can be as vivid as (or even sometimes overlay) our experiences in the present, how past and present can merge as we look out at the world. And the drama of the central character negotiating his way through the vicissitudes of history and chance, love and loss, had something profound too to say about the role of luck in our lives – good luck and bad luck.

But essentially the story speaks of the mysterious, unanalysable nature of what it means to be a human being. Thus the simple, complex, power of Henry James’ words “Never say you know the last word about any human heart”. That sentence is the antidote to any tendency we might have to think we can really know other people, that we can sum them up, define them, be certain about who or what they are. They are always more than we know. Just as we are always more than we know. For we are more than our means to know gives us to know.

I love Walt Whitman’s great burst of sentiment, wonderment, and pride (perhaps arrogance) in his triumphant poem ‘Song of Myself’ when he cries out at one point ‘I am large. I contain multitudes.’ This notion of a plural self, a self of multiple parts and attributes, a self of internal dissention and concatenation and creative interplay between the strands of thinking and feeling and physical liveliness that we all contain – this is an idea central to my understanding of why working in depth with people as a psychotherapist is one of the most privileged professions that exists. The possibility of discovery of hidden parts of the self we didn’t know about, or the freeing up of trapped parts of our self that have got stuck, or the rescuing of discarded or abandoned threads of our lives – all this emerges from the notion of the ‘human heart’ being large, capacious, multiple.

Just as it emerges too from the Jewish and Christian notion of us being made b’tzelem Elohim ‘in the likeness of God’ – for what does that mean other than that we (like ‘God’) are multiple and made up of countless aspects of ‘what is’? From compassion to rage, from a sense of justice to outbursts of hatred, from a capacity for deep love to a silent withdrawal from any more involvement, and so on and so on...we mirror the divine Being with the multiplicity of our human Being.

The WikiLeaks saga has reminded us of what we already intuitively knew: there’s always another story going on that we don’t get to hear about. But what’s true in the world at large, the world of politics and global events, is also true more personally, of our own lives. “Never say you know the last word about any human heart” – not your own, not another person’s. Until our last breath, there may still be surprises in store...

28 comments:

  1. Malaysia & Singapore & brunei ultimate internet blogshop for wholesale
    & supply korean accessories, accessories, earstuds, locket, rings, hair, bracelet & trinket accessories.
    Offer 35 % wholesale price cut. Ship Worldwide
    Feel free to surf my web site ; ways to get ripped

    ReplyDelete
  2. Generally I don't learn article on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to check out and do it! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, quite great article.
    Also visit my blog post : washington state unemployment website

    ReplyDelete
  3. Link exchange is nothing else but it is just placing the other person's web site link on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar in support of you.
    My web site :: Visual Impact Muscle Building

    ReplyDelete
  4. I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information.

    This article has really peaked my interest. I am going to bookmark your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week.
    I opted in for your Feed as well.
    Also visit my page ... click through the next site

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think the admin of this site is really working hard for
    his web site, because here every data is quality based information.
    Stop by my web-site ... search engine optimization india

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog.

    I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any tips for inexperienced blog writers? I'd really appreciate it.
    my website: escort london

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do accept as true with all the concepts you have offered for your post.

    They are really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless,
    the posts are too short for novices. Could you please prolong
    them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.


    Here is my site: Human Labels
    My web site - Executive dirtbag

    ReplyDelete
  8. My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a year and am
    anxious about switching to another platform. I have
    heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import
    all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!



    My web page; Visit site

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thе virus without having having fever when уou experiеnced cloѕe gеt hold of together with thе viгus ωith
    no acquiring fever in саse you hаd cloѕe call usіng the viruѕ with no obtaining fеver.
    The virus with no оωning fever in the event
    you shοulԁ gеt chеcked immeԁiately.


    Feel free tο surf to my blog ρost ::
    ekelma.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post. I'm dealing with some of these issues as well..

    Also visit my website :: electronic dance music

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't leave a response, but I looked at a few of the remarks on this page "'Any Human Heart'". I actually do have a couple of questions for you if you tend not to mind. Could it be simply me or do some of the responses appear as if they are coming from brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional places, I would like to follow you. Would you post a list of the complete urls of your public sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

    my web blog: las vegas dj

    ReplyDelete
  12. This blog was... how do you say it? Relevant!
    ! Finally I have found something which helped me.
    Many thanks!

    Here is my web blog; buy facebook likes cheap

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's amazing to pay a visit this web site and reading the views of all mates regarding this post, while I am also keen of getting know-how.

    Take a look at my page - get facebook likes

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fantastic post however , I was wanting to know
    if you could write a litte more on this topic?
    I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Thanks!

    Also visit my page; Frieda

    ReplyDelete
  15. Keep on working, great job!

    Look into my weblog NaturaCleanse Diets

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's a shame you don't have a donate button! I'd definitely donate to this brilliant blog! I guess for now i'll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google
    account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group.
    Talk soon!

    Here is my site :: green coffee bean reviews

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it
    was extremely long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your
    blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but
    I'm still new to everything. Do you have any helpful hints for newbie blog writers? I'd
    really appreciate it.

    Also visit my webpage: Buy cambogia trim

    ReplyDelete
  18. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
    My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my users would genuinely benefit from
    a lot of the information you present here. Please let me
    know if this okay with you. Many thanks!

    My homepage - Buy Raspberry ketone Plus

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great beat ! I would like to apprentice at the same time as you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a weblog web site?
    The account helped me a applicable deal. I had been
    tiny bit familiar of this your broadcast provided vivid transparent idea

    my web site; http://musclefactorxreviews.net

    ReplyDelete
  20. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site?
    Its very well written; I love what youve got
    to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people
    could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two pictures.

    Maybe you could space it out better?

    my page :: Pure HCA

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere,
    when i read this post i thought i could also make comment due
    to this sensible article.

    Here is my page: www.cuteteenporn.net

    ReplyDelete
  22. I really love your website.. Great colors & theme.
    Did you make this website yourself? Please reply back as I'm planning to create my own website and would love to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Kudos!

    my web site; http://www.cfnmfever.net

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment
    but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again.
    Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog!

    Visit my web blog - http://xxx-fuck.net

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just wish to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your
    post is simply great and i can assume you are an expert on this subject.
    Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated
    with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work.


    Here is my webpage - http://www.analteenexam.org/

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere,
    when i read this post i thought i could also make comment due
    to this sensible article. Buy Facebook Likes

    ReplyDelete
  26. Very interesting blog. Alot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that I'm interested in, but I'm most definately interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.
    visit site

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow. What a well writ explication of it all.

    ReplyDelete
  28. i want to tell the world about the great and mighty spell caster called Dr .osofo my husband was cheating on me and no longer committed to me and our kids when i asked him what the problem was he told me he has fell out of love for me and wanted a divorce i was so heart broken i cried all day and night but he left home i was looking for something online when i saw an article how the great and powerful Dr osofo have helped so many in similar situation like mine he email address was there so i sent him an email telling him about my problem he told me he shall return back to me within 48hrs i did everything he asked me to do the nest day to my greatest surprise my husband came back home and was crying and begging for me to forgive and accept him back he can also help you contact him ( osofo.48hoursolutioncenter@gmail.com ) 
    whasAPP him +2349065749952    

    ReplyDelete