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It is said that the poet Wilfred Owen, fighting in ww1, forced himself to remain fully conscious and aware during battle when other soldiers were doing all they could to numb themselves. He felt - correctly, I think - that it was the true poet’s duty to taste unusual experiences as deeply and as thoroughly as possible, in order to broaden the human experience for those who, because of the possibility of suffering, did not allow themselves full awareness. It must have worked to some degree because he penned the remarkable poem, “What passing bells for those who die like cattle...”, etc., a remarkable combination of mere words. And then the poet died in battle at age 19.
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