We are all
neurotics though we convince ourselves that we are normal especially because
our society approves of most of the things we do. The society is the benchmark
for the sanity of our actions. We can even murder people in large numbers and
call it religious fervour or patriotism. We are doing it everyday. We are doing
it indirectly perhaps like, for instance, when we glorify the soldiers who kill
at the borders or the militants who kill wherever they wish.
There is no
need to go to the extent of murders in order to be aware of our neurosis. If we
analyse our usual thoughts and actions, we will find that quite many of them
are plainly absurd if not insane.
One of the
jokes that I have quoted again and again in my classes is from Albert Camus’s essay,
The Myth of Sisyphus. There is a mad
man who is fishing in a bathtub. The psychiatrist asks him with a plan to start
a session of counselling, “Hey, got any fish?” The mad man frowns at the doc
and gives a harsh reply, “Of course not, you fool, this is a bathtub.”
We are not
different from that mad man, says Camus. We are trying to catch fish from a
bathtub knowing that there is no fish in there. We are searching for happiness
in wealth, luxury, power, etc knowing happiness doesn’t lie there. We are
searching for peace in the barrels of machine guns and the shards left by
missiles. We are searching for god in the emptiness of temples and the muteness
of granite idols. We are searching for truth in words written centuries ago.
Our whole life
can undergo a miraculous transformation if only we channelise our neurosis a
little differently. There is no escape from neurosis. We can only divert it in
different ways.
One productive
way of diverting our neurosis would be to sit down coolly and identify one of
the unpleasant truths about ourselves. And then accept that truth boldly. You
can safely trust a person who has the courage to do that. Such a person will be
willing to give up the neurosis imposed on him by his society, nation,
religion, etc. He may have his own neurosis after that. Because when you
discard the neurosis given by others, they will regard you as insane. Never
mind. You are actually the sane one. You will become spontaneous when you shed
the neurosis imposed on you from outside. You will begin to see the world for
what it is: a place where people are trying to catch fish from bathtubs and
docs who are trying to counsel them using patriotism, gods and a whole lot of
absurd things.
Good things
like art and music, literature and sculpture all originate from properly
channelized neurosis.
PS. For
#BlogchatterA2Z
Tomorrow: Overcome
"You will begin to see the world for what it is: a place where people are trying to catch fish from bathtubs and docs who are trying to counsel them using patriotism, gods and a whole lot of absurd things."
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Such complex thoughts explained so lucidly and clearly.
A fantastic and brilliant article , sir. What a nice place the world would be if there were no set benchmarks for "sanity and insanity", "right and wrong" .
ReplyDelete"We are all neurotics though we convince ourselves that we are normal especially because our society approves of most of the things we do. The society is the benchmark for the sanity of our actions."
Glad you like it.
DeleteQuite interesting and well written,sir. Though as part of my own neurosis / psychosis,I do like my interpretation of "temples, granite idols and words written centuries ago", I do agree that socially imposed " normalcy" is the major cause of mental disease in the 20th & 21st Century.
ReplyDelete