Lacerations

Michel Courtemanche is 61 and a well known Quebecois comic. I watched his very frank interview during which he shared his personal battles with substance abuse, jealous rages and his eventual diagnosis with bipolar disorder. 

He states unequivocally that he now knows how to live and wants to be left alone. He has learned how to rely on the self and no longer seeks life company. 

This is something which today I comprehend viscerally. We get to a point where we understand ourselves too well and know how to meet our needs without compromise. 

Michel has been burned enough times by now to know what is good for him. 

Such admissions are rare because celebrity interviews can sometimes be superficial and bathe liberally in the saccharine. This hour-long discussion (en Francais) delved deep into the humanity of a comic we may have been tempted to think had it all. 

He had achieved fame and wealth at a young age but something inside was unsettled and needed mending. 

His life lessons resonated with me because no one fully escapes the lacerations that life provides. 

If we are lucky they can convert themselves into deep knowledge of the self.