Page 23 - Pakistan Link - July 30, 2021

COMMENTARY JULY 30, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

n By Dr Zafar M. Iqbal Creatures of Habit Wolfensohn, the former World Bank presi-
Chicago, IL dent played cello at Carnegie Hall.
Bruce Kovner, the hedge fund billion-
ome things we do every day, more aire, is a Juilliard-trained pianist; Paul Allen,
or less the same way, and day after a co-founder of Microsoft and a billionaire,
Sday. Routines we all go through, al- a violin player who also has a rock-band.
most unconsciously, but when we deviate Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, played
any (or had to, for some reason), we feel saxophone in high school. Among the TV
something is missing that day. personalities, Paul Zahn is a professional
Creatures of habit, we all are! cello-player, Andrea Mitchell, a trained vio-
In “Daily Rituals: How Great Minds linist, Chuch Todd on music scholarship in
Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to college, played French horn.
Work: How Artists Work,” a book edited by Movie director, Woody Allen, a profes-
Mason Currey (ISBN: ISBN-10: 0307273601; sional clarinet player for New Orleans jazz
Knopf, 2013 ), you can read about what over band, still practices every day for at least half
160 creative public figures such as writers, an hour. His fellow movie-director, Stephen
scientists, artists, conductors, film makers, Spielberg, is also a clarinetist.
politicians and other famous people used Perhaps Microsoft co-founder Paul Al-
to do outside the area in which they had len came up with the best explanation, com-
achieved prominence . Their routines may ing from a contrasting field, when he said
not be much different from some of our own music “reinforces your confidence in the
daily rituals. ability to create,” and in the two such appar-
Many were early risers, drank coffee ently diverse fields “something is pushing
and did different things, each his/her own you to look beyond what currently exists
way. Proust smoked opium (supposedly and express yourself in a new way.”
for his asthma) before coffee and croissant.
He, like Truman Capote and Patricia High- COST FROM P9
smith, also worked in bed, surrounded by pay funeral or burial expenses.
alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and food. Ap- New York – Any funeral assistance varies
parently, Capote “couldn’t begin or end any- by county. For example, one county pays up
thing on a Friday.” to $1,000.
Beethoven put exactly 60 hand-count- New York City - The city and all bor-
ed coffee beans in a cup. That’s not the only oughs provide up to $900 in financial assis-
odd thing he did: he would splash himself at year by year.” Sylvia Plath found it difficult 2 sentences to write while in the bathtub in tance to pay for burial costs and other funeral
washstand, repeatedly, which spilled water to stick to any schedule. the morning. Woody Allen would get chilly expenses for low-income New York City resi-
everywhere, something his neighbors and Some were known for their peculiar first in the morning before his hot shower. dents. Call the Department of Social Services.
others did not understand or appreciate. taste and habits: Friedrich Schiller, the Ger- Ira Gershwin, according to his brother, North Carolina – Varies by county. Some
Other coffee-addicts included Balzac man poet/philosopher and friend of Goethe, Ira, worked 12 hours a day at the piano, Department of Social Services may pay up to
who had 50 cups of coffee a day (and died liked the smell of rotting apples while he composing in his pajamas. $1,500.
when he was 5l). Mozart had his hair done wrote. Charles Schulz, the creator of the popu- North Dakota – Across the ND state,
by 6 AM, then 2 hours of composition, 4 Some well- known authors worked in lar comic strip, Peanuts, worked alone on individual counties have burial assistance
hours of teaching before lunch. areas totally unrelated to what they became every strip each day of the week (nearly programs available for needy people and the
Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish existen- famous for—jobs that required work-ethics 18,000 in all), mostly after driving his kids to poor. Most funeral directors are aware of vari-
tialist philosopher, would ask his assistant and discipline, besides giving them some fi- school. He always had the same lunch (ham ous financial and cash benefits.
who brought the afternoon coffee, to give nancial security: Kafka worked as an insur- sandwich and a glass of milk). Ohio - The responsibility for paying for
him the reason for the choice of coffee that ance officer; William Faulkner, the Ameri- Thomas Wolfe worked standing up, his the burial and funeral costs of all indigents
day, before pouring strong black coffee over can novelist, wrote in the afternoons while typewriter on the refrigerator, and “fondling and the poor has shifted to towns, cities, vil-
a cupful of sugar. he had a night shift at a power plant; among himself.” Louis Armstrong had his daily lages, and possibly local counties.
Gustave Flaubert wanted to have his American poets T. S. Eliot worked in Lloyds ‘drugs’ and had a photo of himself sitting in Oklahoma – Some counties may offer
mother sit by his bed for a chat after he got Bank in London; William Carlos Williams his toilet saying “Leave It All Behind Ya.” burial or cremation. It is a financial assistance
up at 10 AM and for that he knocked on the was a pediatrician; Wallace Stevens, an in- People included in the book shared program for families or individuals who do
ceiling. James Joyce played piano and sang surance officer. some common routines: many were early not have the resources to pay for or cremate
before writing in the afternoon. In some cases, a famous person re- a loved one.
Benjamin Franklin had his “air bath” ceived some personal help: Freud’s wife put In Daily Rituals: How Pennsylvania – The state provides a Buri-
(sitting around, naked), regardless of the toothpaste overnight on his brush for the Great Minds Make Time, al and Cremation Services Payment from The
weather. W.H. Auden, a British-American morning to save him time. George Sand, the Department of Public Welfare. It is, in effect,
poet, worked at the crosswords, with “eat- pseudonym for the French female novel- Find Inspiration, and Get a statewide benefit. This government orga-
ing, drinking, writing, shopping and even ist, Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, had to to Work: How Artists Work, nization will provide qualified families with
the mailman’s arrival, all ... timed to the have chocolate and tobacco while she wrote payments for burial and cremation services
minute,” all supported by amphetamines all night. David Lynch, the American movie a book edited by Mason to eligible individuals. Your local County As-
during the day and sedatives at night. director and musician known for his exotic Currey (ISBN: ISBN- sistance Offices will determine eligibility. Call
The American writer, Earnest Heming- surrealist traits, meditated twice a day, and 1-800-537-8862.
way, a famous night owl who was out drink- used to have his milkshake daily. 10: 0307273601; Rhode Island - May provide financial as-
ing, still liked getting up early and write be- Ingmar Bergman, the famous Swedish Knopf, 2013 ), you can sistance with funeral expenses, cremation, or
cause “there is no one to disturb you and it’s movie director, worked at a remote island of read about what over 160 burial costs if the individual meets specific
cool or cold and come to work and warm Faro, off the Swedish coast. Up at 8 and he eligibility requirements. Call your local De-
[up with coffee] as you write.” Others who wrote scripts till noon, then had the same creative public figures partment of Human Services office for more
had other commitments (job, children or kind of baby-food lunch (whipped sour such as writers, scientists, information or to apply.
both) agreed with Hemingway, and found cream and strawberry jam with cornflakes), artists, conductors, film South Carolina - Contact the local coro-
the mornings good for writing. worked for a couple of hours more and slept. ner. Expect limited services or aid, if any.
Novelist-short story-writer John Cheev- Then he walked and took a ferry to a neigh- makers, politicians and South Dakota – Assistance will vary by
er had an interesting schedule in 1940s: each boring island to get the mail and paper. He other famous people used town or county. For example, Minnehaha will
morning, he’d get dressed in business suit, said he “never used drugs or alcohol,” except pay out up to $2,999, while Lincoln offers
and like most commuters, take the elevator that an occasional glass of wine made him to do outside the area in $2,500. The state required that counties need
downstairs -- all the way to his favorite stor- “incredibly happy.” which they had achieved to pay the bills and cover costs if someone dies
age room in the basement —and strip down Composers like Beethoven, Mahler and prominence without money and if the deceased has no
to his shorts and write all morning before Tchaikovsky loved their daily walk for about family member that is able or willing to help
dressing back up to come upstairs for lunch 2 hours. Igor Stravinsky made sure that no cover the costs.
and a relaxing afternoon later. one heard him play and would stand on his risers, kept their job, took regular walks, Tennessee – The Indigent Burial/Crema-
Some faithfully maintained a rigorous head to clear mental blocks. The German addicted to substance of abuse, and worked tion Services is available in some counties.
schedule, compulsively kept: Anthony Trol- philosopher Immanuel Kant was so regular wherever they could, and stuck to their Some local Social Service organizations pro-
lope typed for 3 hours a morning, at the rate that his neighbors in Konisberg would know schedule and rituals. vide coordination and funding for the burial
of 250 words every 15minutes; Joyce Carol it’s 3:30PM each day. Quite apart from this book and its id- and other costs of deceased persons who did
Oates worked from 8 in the morning to 1 in The Croatian-American inventor, Nic- iosyncratic behaviors of the selected fa- not leave sufficient resources to pay the ex-
the afternoon, and then from 4 to 7PM. Ste- ola Tesla, who once worked with Thomas mous persona is the flip side, i.e., what at- pense.
phen King wrote 2,000 words every morn- Edison had childhood compulsion of com- tracted people from different walks of life. Texas Community Services Depart-
ing, thought writing “as a waking dream” puting his dinner’s cubic volume before eat- In an opinion piece in the New York Times, ment administers the Bereavement Service
and used his “schedule” to “habituate” him- ing. Joanne Lipman described the role music program in some counties. This county/local
self like getting ready to dream, as you pre- Some authors were phenomenally played in the life of some public figures well government resource will ensure that every
pare yourself to sleep. Charles Dickens, the compulsive and productive: P. G. Wode- known in other areas. needy citizen without adequate resources or
prolific novelist, as quoted by his son, wrote house wrote last 8,000 words of his ‘Thank Condoleeza Rice, former secretary financial means will receive a simple but dig-
with the work-ethic that “no city clerk” You, Jeeves’ in one day, a feat emulated by of State under GW Bush, was also a con- nified burial. The state of Texas Constitution
could be “ever more methodical or orderly.” William Faulkner who wrote 10,000 words cert pianist, while Alan Greenspan, for- requires counties to cremate or bury the poor
While Voltaire was at his desk 20 hours in144 hours (from 10 AM to midnight, mer chairman of the Federal Reserve and or disadvantaged.
a day Gertrude Stein thought that 30 min- same day). a professional statistician, is a professional This Bereavement program, which pro-
utes a day was enough to make “a lot writing Somerset Maugham worked on the first clarinet and saxophone player, and James D. COST, P30
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