Apocalypse Wow!

Martin O'Brien's performance art was both engrossing and just plain gross, yet I can't say that I was ever truly repulsed or disgusted by it. Unlike my fellow students that were covering their eyes and vocally making their levels of discomfort known as they witnessed O'Brien's sadomasochistic behavior, I sat at the back of the lecture room eating an apple, noticeably unfazed about what was happening on the screen in front of me. It's not that I am desensitized to acts of gore and violence, but rather I understood that O'Brien derived a twisted sort of pleasure and fulfillment from what he was doing to himself on stage. If I was made to watch somebody being unwillingly put through that level of pain and torture my reaction would have been very different. Ultimately, I found O'Brien's performance to be a very fitting metaphor for the disease he is living with and found his way of coping with his pain beguiling. He is truly inspiring and the high levels of pain he puts himself through during his performance just go to show the strength and resilience inside of him.