The only lesson I draw from Sedaris’ pitiful story (I have only read the notes, not listened to the interview) is that at any time once he was grown up enough to be able to knock his father down he could have solved the relationship by ignoring him. That’s what he did with his sister, after all, and the denouement of that was only that he was a bit sad she committed suicide. How can someone be 60 years old and still be “in the shadow of their father”?
I’m with J.K. Rowling here: “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” If someone is young and full of energy for centuries, and still burning up with resentment, it’s a self-inflicted problem that they could let go of at any moment.
The only lesson I draw from Sedaris’ pitiful story (I have only read the notes, not listened to the interview) is that at any time once he was grown up enough to be able to knock his father down he could have solved the relationship by ignoring him. That’s what he did with his sister, after all, and the denouement of that was only that he was a bit sad she committed suicide. How can someone be 60 years old and still be “in the shadow of their father”?
I’m with J.K. Rowling here: “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” If someone is young and full of energy for centuries, and still burning up with resentment, it’s a self-inflicted problem that they could let go of at any moment.