Epiphanies on Craziness
I’ll tell you a secret: I am QUICK to label someone or something crazy. Judgmental, lacking in compassion and unkind, I know. It is true nonetheless. Upon further examination, the people I call crazy exhibit behavior that is repeatedly:
Angry
Irrational
Fearful
Unkind
Impatient
Illogical
Flaky
Dishonest
Judgmental
Mean
Irresponsible
Petty.
The truth is, I have at one time or another been any or several of those things. I’m willing to bet that you have, too. Most of the time, these “crazy” behaviors are tied to fear.
We’re ALL a little crazy. There, I said it.
Not him, not her, not them…ME.
The sooner I own my own crazy and accept everyone else’s without condemning “their” crazy as somehow worse, more hurtful and less damaging than “mine”, the more at peace, happier and compassionate I’ll be.
That person I just called crazy? They’re my mirror. Hell, they ARE me.
So, the next time I’m tempted to call someone crazy, I will remember the last time I behaved that way (which, if I’m honest, could have been yesterday, last week, month, year or even a few minutes ago) and extend the patience and compassion that I would want extended to me. I’ll consider the possibility that they are in pain, because fear is never fun and won’t be so quick to assign a character flaw to someone who is doing the best they can to navigate this sometimes challenging life.
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs
Your post reminded me of a quote:
“A loving person lives in a loving world, a hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.” ~ Ken Keyes Jr.
Of course, I’m also reminded of another quote:
“In a world full of people only some want to fly
Isn’t that crazy” ~ Seal
Looking forward to meeting you around NEOtropolis…