How about a view from an opposite side?
I found myself agreeing pretty much wholesale with the 4/4 Strong Words, but on a different account.
It becomes sometimes apparent that, in order to reach the peaks of inspiration, the heights of human intelligence, the most comprehensive vistas of understanding, the greatest accomplishments, one has to be able to embrace pretty much all aspects of consciousness - and that includes the darkest depths of the reptilian brain and all the rest of the evolutionary baggage that we’re dragging. This has been the experience of many inspired artists; also a stereotype that testifies for this view is that of the tormented genius. Also, the biographies of many brilliant people and greatest achievers from all fields are often peppered with episodes that would amount for sheer insanity if occuring in “normal” individuals, except in these cases they were all but “normal” - they were geniuses.
Therefore, in my opinion:
If anything, the 4/4 Strong Words are actually an appreciation for the dashing, bold, often reckless masculine spirit - it’s what enables the highest of accomplishments, but it’s also what keeps its carriers close to the edge of rather undesireable experiences.
Maybe these words were framed as a bitter remark by C. Paglia - I don’t know, I’m not familiar with what she did or who she was, but even regardless of the context, this quote strikes me as deeply true.
Two thumbs up for the 4/4 Strong Words.