Almanac: W.H. Auden on the drunkard

“His refusal to accept the realities of this world, babyish as it may be, compels us to take another look at this world and reflect upon our motives for accepting it. The drunkard’s suffering may be self-inflicted, but it is real suffering and reminds us of all the suffering in this world which we prefer not to think abut because, from the moment we accept this world, we acquired our share of responsibility for everything that happens in it.”
W.H. Auden, “The Prince’s Dog”