[sevagh]

>MMA fighters, for example, put themselves at tremendous risk because they're chasing their own personal ideas of "greatness." And there are many examples of "struggling artists" throughout history that gave up on relationships and money because they were chasing something that they believed in.

MMA fighters generally chase their own glory, to get their own hand raised in the ring. Not become a personal servant to another person's ego.

[gspencley]

Agreed but you're missing the point, which is that the individual might have so believed in Kubrik's art that he wanted to make personal sacrifices in pursuit of that. For all we know (and others undoubtedly know more about the story than I do), this man might have actually been in love Kubrik and wanted nothing more than to be close to what he perceived as "greatness."

I'm not even saying whether I think it's morally right or wrong. Only that it's not hard to imagine the scenario.

[Hikikomori]

You're missing the point, abuse is bad even if the abused accepts it for whatever reason. You can achieve great things without abusing people, it's not a requirement.

Your MMA example is also missing the imbalanced power dynamic that you usually have in an abusive relationship.