The sudden and unexpected failure of the body is a shocking catastrophe that threatens the flimsy edifice we call the "self", with a corresponding strain on intimacy.
Isn't it time to give up on the whole lousy edifice?
After a description of the hotel's interior, Gautier arrives in a room where "several human shapes were stirring about a table, and as soon as the light reached me and I was recognised, a vigorous shout shook the sonorous depths of the ancient edifice.
Moving down and through the old town centre, the impression of a European capital is maintained: the bustling Mercado Central, where I foolishly chewed on a piece of pulpo (octopus) to impress the locals; the Plaza de la Libertad; and the imposing edifice of La Moneda.
The fact that – so far – no one has stormed out and pulled the plug on the four-party coalition is proof, optimists argue, that nobody really wants to pull the delicate edifice of devolution down.
'As we move towards a fully sealed and settled process we should be preparing to think about how and when to remove some of the ugly scaffolding needed during the construction of the new edifice.' He added: 'If we are serious about a truly shared future then we have to allow for truly shared politics where parties can - and have to - appeal across the traditional divides.
As with Livingstone, power seized him in the grip of an edifice complex.
To counter his opponents in the party, Mr Najib therefore needs to capitalise quickly on his own popularity to reform more boldly: to complete the demolition of the affirmative-action edifice; to go further in improving civil liberties; and, above all, to make the electoral system fairer.
His predecessor in this post languished in the bowels of North Block, a colonial edifice in Delhi.
In his first speech following his recent surgery he declared himself stronger than ever in will and determination, vowing to fulfil his promise to "build the pillars of democracy"—an edifice which, at the current pace of construction, looks unlikely to be completed in the foreseeable future.
"We wanted our own charitable donations to be the foundation of a much bigger edifice.
