Poverty afflicted many. Slavery afflicted others. Bad marriages and even noble stations in life were afflictions. Having more than one affliction was not uncommon as was the case of Beethoven who not only struggled with depression but was also afflicted with deafness in his later years. Perhaps part of our appreciation of the accomplishments of these people is recognizing the pain through which those accomplishments came into existence.
Tragic afflictions are like icebergs floating on the sea.
If only we could see below the surface and solve the mystery of how they might be linked to creativity, we could harness the strength for greatness. Here is my theory. Please feel free to give yours in the discussion. I believe tragic afflictions put people face to face with their own mortality and make them want to live better for whatever length of time they have left. Some people, but not all, discover that an avenue to get beyond their affliction is creativity, which we could then say is fired by the affliction.