- And why we need to go beyond labels, taboos and stereotypes
Where is the thin blue line between sanity and insanity, between madness and creativity, between finding wonder in everyday life and being boredom-struck amidst wonderland? When do we cross the final frontier from ‘all-that-is’ to ‘all-we-wanted-to-be’? Where is the door from where we go beyond the reality of mundane to the serenity of beyond? Why do we lose our minds to an extent that others have to rush in and do their best to tame us and bring us back to the Land of The Normal? How some madmen perish amidst chaotic noise, surrounded by million fragments of never-ending visuals, and an array of sensations that tax their minds so much that to silent it or make sense of it is the sole aim. Some members of our species choose insanity as an escape. A Hobson’s choice where to take it or leave it has become more a question of contemplation rather than a serious query which could be answered no.
Who are they, these settlers of fringes, these obsession-filled, impossibly imaginative, gibberish-uttering lads and lassies? Always on the edges, never home, never at peace, always departing, never arriving. What makes them, them? Is it Genetics, environment, trauma, betrayal or tiresome realities? Or is it a craving for escape or an allure for the ‘other side’? It could be one or all of these or some other push that nudged them ahead and beyond.
All these questions are eternal. Philosophers, theorists, religious figures, social scientists, poets and writers have been grappling with these queries for as long as we humans have been condemned to the servitude of words.
I have written many times in these pages about sanity, creativity, psychotherapy and madness. Madness has many hues and nuances. Solitude removes all the distractions and smoke screens allowing us to peep inside our minds. Creativity is observing the familiar and seeing something novel, every time. Although beasts of different nature, all three, play a very pivotal role in the lives of individuals. It takes a looney, a madman, a fringe-dweller to make progress in the fields of arts, literature and sciences.
What is madness? Whatever idea of madness you have is probably tainted by how you approach it. A poet and psychologist will differ hugely the way they perceive it. Why is solitude necessary to achieve a deeper, nuanced understanding of ourselves? Ruminate about it. What urges us to express ourselves through words, deeds and acts of creative expression? Will it ever be satiated? The answer is no. All these questions are eternal. Philosophers, theorists, religious figures, social scientists, poets and writers have been grappling with these queries for as long as we humans have been condemned to the servitude of words.
Those among us who deviate from the norm, statistical norm of normalcy as determined by rational, logical behavior, are madmen and women. Those who lead solitary, secluded lives away from the hustle bustle of chaotic daily life and seek refuge in their minds- for a painter it could be a canvass, for a writer seclusion means pages and pens, for those whose mind loves to wander, it is sights and sounds of nature- are the renegades who refuse to play by the rules. These maladjusted blokes and dames are single handedly responsible for making our species leap ahead and discover new frontiers.
The great mass of our species have always been busy in making ends meet. The pressing physical needs for food, shelter and security has kept the majority of us on our toes. The demands of the body have consumed billions of us. The perils of thought and mind cast their gloomy pall on few. Why? Well, let us think more, let us think hard, and let us delve deep.
Humans are creatures who thrive on looking, craving and finding distractions. Our ancients found it in rituals of their elders, sights and sounds of nature, poetry of wandering bards, myths and tales of ancients, gruesome spectacles of misery, tricks and illusions of magicians and closing of their eyes and ears.
Alas, in our age we have mastered the art of concealing our madness by antidepressants, crowding out solitude by memes and notifications, channeling our creativity to appease the base taste, getting high on the number of likes, views and shares. The dawn of information technology held promise of an era where ideas will float freely, the world will come closer and a more dynamic, more democratic, more open society will come into being.
All these hopes and dreams dashed. Social Media has made us all into narcissists sans beauty, sans talent, sans thought, sans anything. What’s the cure? Have social media accounts on every platform. Go there, post your thing, and log out. Don’t consume it like junkies. If you have content, throw it there. The consumers will consume. Want content, get it in one place. Email, Whatsapp, Messenger, any platform, until it is one, would suffice.
The insane madness of lunacy is one notch away from getting any of us. Feel depressed, talk. Feel suicidal, talk. Feel like having a cigarette, share. Feel like losing mind, knock on a door. Feel like crying, cry. Feel like losing it all, don’t. Lucky we are for we have countless distractions. Distract yourself. Distract yourself with books. Distract yourself in the company of strangers. Distract yourself with Netflix. Distract yourself with books. Distract yourself with calling loved ones. Distract yourself with music. Distract yourself with poetry. Distract yourself with philosophy. Distract yourself with comics.
Distract yourself brethren and ladies. Or else the insane madness of lunacy will rip you apart from the seams.
