Poets Die Young
Warning, Poetry Shortens Your Life MSNBC
It could be because poets are tortured and prone to self-destruction, or it could be that poets become famous young, so their early deaths are noticed, said James Kaufman of the Learning Research Institute at California State University at San Bernardino.
For the report, published in the Journal of Death Studies, Kaufman studied 1,987 dead writers from various centuries from the United States, China, Turkey and Eastern Europe. He classified the writers as fiction writers, poets, playwrights, and non-fiction writers. He did not study the causes of death.
"Among American, Chinese and Turkish writers, poets died significantly younger than non-fiction writers," Kaufman wrote in the report. "Among the entire sample, poets died younger than both fiction writers and non-fiction writers."
Because Kaufman studied some writers who lived hundreds of years ago, it is impossible to compare their average age of death to that of the general population.
"On average, poets lived 62 years, playwrights 63 years, novelists 66 years and non-fiction writers lived 68 years," Kaufman said in an interview conducted by e-mail.
Kaufman has also studied poets and mental illness.
"What I found was pretty consistent with the death finding actually, female poets were much more likely to suffer from mental illness (e.g., be hospitalized, commit suicide, attempt suicide) than any other kind of writer and more likely than other eminent women," he said.
"I've dubbed this the 'Sylvia Plath Effect'."
Sylvia Plath was a poet and novelist who killed herself in 1963 at the age of 30.
There could also be a more benign explanation for poets' early demise, Kaufman said. "Poets produce twice as much of their lifetime output in their twenties as novelists do," he said.
So when a budding novelist dies young, few people may notice.
"A great novelist or non-fiction writer who dies at 28 may not have yet produced her or his magnum opus."
Kaufman said poets should not worry, but should perhaps look after their health.
"The fact that a Sylvia Plath ... may die young does not necessarily mean an Introduction to Poetry class should carry a warning that poems may be hazardous to one's health," he said.
Poetry reflects emotional issues, usually deep rooted pain and suffering, the wounded soul. Many poets are tortured, dysfunctional souls, who have never found meaning in life.
Each of us has a book, a story to tell, that they hope to write one day. It is their story, their journey, aka the akashic record of their time in 3D, their program. Most of us are not writers, so they will never complete the book. For professional writers it is usually their first book, reflecting the main theme of their mission here.
Many people are guided by Spirit to a writing book or poem now, to help themselves and others heal. Remember that reality is now about healing so the truth becomes self-evident.
Life is a story in time.
Poetry is a glimpse of the emotional aspects of that journey....
Most poets do not have the emotional stability nor talent to write or complete a book, so they pour out their pain in poems or short articles.
It is just another way of helping your soul release negativity that blocks you from creating balance. Whatever works!
Why do poets die young? Most dysfunctional souls leave early...one way or another, the pain becomes too much, further, they are prone to self-destruction in the first place.
It is sad that in this day and age, with all of the healing techniques available, that souls cannot heal. It's all about the way you are wired/programmed and your ability to change it!
Then again there are poets who are full of positive energy and inspire others with their positive thoughts.
My poems are all silly and rhyme. Many are a bit saucy.
What kind of poet are you?
Poets die young, because they have emotional problems they cannot handle and so they leave, one way or another.
Beware the wounded soul.
The one how has no goal.
He/she will drag you down,
then turn your life around.
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