Mentality

Rebuked by everyone, envied by all

Again. ‘So this is not a contest for a trivial prize: at issue is madness or sanity.’- Marcus Aurelius

There was this lecture back in 2005 that I happened to attend delivered by a psychiatrist. He mentioned that according to traditional wisdom, a mental disorder does not exist. There happen deviations from the so called sane thinking and behavior. These deviations are syndromes and not a disease. These syndromes can be corrected one by one or all together. As an example, there exists an oneroid personality, an oneroid personality disorder or oneroid schizophrenia. A thin line differentiates between all three so to put a diagnosis is not possible without at least an year of follow-up.

But of course, syndromes can be elicited and worked upon through drugs and psychotherapy immediately to help the patient. Syndromes like blunted affect, day-dreaming, stupor, memory loss, and more can be taken up one by one and treated. Constant motivation, family training and so much more can make us bring back our loved one to this world.

So, according to me, treat the syndromes and not the disease. This concept was first proposed by the school of thought of German medicine.

Those leading and alone in their small worlds are rebuked and envied at the same time. These leaders seldom gain name and still they contribute. They work according to their life’s call. There are people wearing the same dress to work everyday, it keeps them in the performance mode, never bored of their outfit. In their initial pursuit, they might have been condescended yet they preferred to stand out.

I came up with this thought process because I had a dream yesterday. I was planning to write a book on social dimension of health and pathology. I went off to sleep while thinking of politics as a factor. Certainly I cannot perform with abundant knowledge during sleep, and then I heard them laugh out loud, dreaming that people make fun of my ideas. I got up in haste, sat for sometime, drank some water and went off to sleep again. Right now its a Sunday morning, I have only done ablutions, and had a fruit meal. But I was disturbed by the laughter in my dreams. This if is a mental disorder, I wouldn’t know its a dream, I shall perceive it as reality. But then I thought its a dream, so no insanity in it.

There are moments when you sign a paper at the wrong place, your interpretation of signing at a document might momentarily change, or you were preoccupied by something wrong at home. People judge it as absent-mindedness because they are picking on you. Some people resort to calling you demented. But according to me, it is a sign that you are a leader in small ways and people look up to you. They hold you accountable. You are the center of attention for best practices. Still, you cannot be in form all the time, you just cannot and you need some rest and switch-off. But you must improve the daily small work practices or chores that you perform at home with full attention. Indulge in life, forgetting yourself in the moment when you act madly or with sanity.

People will judge, no worries. You know who you are, all of us can defend, all of us know why we did what we set out to. Again, there will be people who are unaware or not mindful of their thoughts and action at some point of time. As wise individuals we have to say, we understand. This cohesiveness accepts everyone and creates room to diversify, enlarge our span of control and really have a wider perspective of things, not petty in thinking. I cannot think it is insanity. It is a phase of madness, that moment when you couldn’t reflect, when you had no insight.

The solution is to change your thinking, disseminate your outlook, say, through your blog, oration, books or among friends. We all have the right to defend, or explain. But do it rarely, mostly be confident. Sometimes the other person in your life has flawed, so what? We are together in this, one creative to another, one doctor to another, one mother to another!!

So no one is insane, they are just a realm in the society, drifting left or right from balance due to the societal perception. You never wear shorts only while treating patients and no one wears full make-up before sleeping. Be culturally appropriate and drift also. It’s allowed, nothing wrong.