Have you ever seen any of Hitler's paintings?

Blazing Reader,

While totally fiction, my recent interview with Anthony Fauci exposed many of the psychopathic doctor's crimes against humanity. But it also contained a metaphorical truth about what leads many people to the "dark side."

Subscriber Christina Stafford from British Columbia, picked up on the allegory. Here's what she said in an email to me the other day:

"Your story about Fauci is a marvellous look at what happens to some people when they deny their own urge to be creative in a way that allows them to do what they do without harming anyone else..."

She's referring to how my fictitious interview reveals that Fauci always wanted to be a science fiction horror novelist. Sadly, after receiving too many rejection letters, he turned to a life of crime as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In the classic book The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield refers to the evil force which leads us away from our creative potential as resistance. Here's what he says about another would-be artist who history depicts as the most evil man that ever lived:

“You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.”

Yes, probably a bit of an overstatement, Mr. Pressfield. After all, I've seen most of Hitler's paintings. They're just a Google image search away. Neuschwanstein Castle is my favourite:

Nonetheless, I agree with Pressfield. If we run away from our "callings" we'll end up in dark places, doing dark things. Maybe not mass genocide like a Hitler or Fauci — but certainly harm to ourselves and others.

So my interview with Anthony "Science Fiction" Fauci served three purposes: 1) To expose his crimes, 2) to share a moral lesson about being committed to your inner calling(s). 3) to make you laugh. If you haven't laughed at it yet, check it out before part two is released at: https://blazingpinecone.com/blog/dr-sci-fi/

John C.A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/