![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Insanity
I'm pretty firmly of the belief that everyone is insane. Including myself, of course.
I remember reading somewhere that nearly all mental disorders are really just extreme examples of processes that regularly happen in all brains. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder happen to all people, but most people have a handle on it and either ignore the impulses or just have a foible or two instead of a whole host of tics or abnormal behaviors. I've experienced this myself from time to time; my brain comes up with a ridiculous explanation for something (and I immediately dismiss it), or I feel the desire to check the emergency brake on my car again and again.
I think I'm posting this because I feel a lot of sympathy for the characters of I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK (briefly reviewed in the other blog). And really, who can't feel sympathy for a person who's lost their mind? Everyone loses their mind once in a while, everyone feels confused or scared or alone at some point in time. People are fragile.
I'm also posting this because I was reading an article on evangelical Christian services happening in my neighborhood at various bars on Sunday nights. That kind of thing worries me in general, because I don't want more of that kind of condoned insanity taking root here. I don't need more recovering drug addicts sharing their rebirth experiences and growing the flock while the audience watches a hip VJ spin pictures of Baby Jesus and swigs $3 PBRs.
It makes me simmer when I think that preachers get to spread more mental confusion like that. The last thing vulnerable people need is someone injecting crap into their heads with a giant Jesus-shaped syringe, but we let it happen all the time under the guise of "helping" others. Why can't people just leave other people alone? Why do they have to infect them with their mania? I suppose I should feel bad for the preachers as well; but normally we lock the ones who are a danger to others up, yet these people get a free pass.
I remember reading somewhere that nearly all mental disorders are really just extreme examples of processes that regularly happen in all brains. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder happen to all people, but most people have a handle on it and either ignore the impulses or just have a foible or two instead of a whole host of tics or abnormal behaviors. I've experienced this myself from time to time; my brain comes up with a ridiculous explanation for something (and I immediately dismiss it), or I feel the desire to check the emergency brake on my car again and again.
I think I'm posting this because I feel a lot of sympathy for the characters of I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK (briefly reviewed in the other blog). And really, who can't feel sympathy for a person who's lost their mind? Everyone loses their mind once in a while, everyone feels confused or scared or alone at some point in time. People are fragile.
I'm also posting this because I was reading an article on evangelical Christian services happening in my neighborhood at various bars on Sunday nights. That kind of thing worries me in general, because I don't want more of that kind of condoned insanity taking root here. I don't need more recovering drug addicts sharing their rebirth experiences and growing the flock while the audience watches a hip VJ spin pictures of Baby Jesus and swigs $3 PBRs.
It makes me simmer when I think that preachers get to spread more mental confusion like that. The last thing vulnerable people need is someone injecting crap into their heads with a giant Jesus-shaped syringe, but we let it happen all the time under the guise of "helping" others. Why can't people just leave other people alone? Why do they have to infect them with their mania? I suppose I should feel bad for the preachers as well; but normally we lock the ones who are a danger to others up, yet these people get a free pass.
no subject
Anyway, a couple of tangentially related points.
1. I had a very interesting exchange with an unknown but apparently knowlegable bible-type person concerning the Words of Jesus. It's alway been my impression that, if the Bible had stopped at the gospels, it would have made a heckuva lot more sense. There's a lot of good stuff attributed to Jesus, but all the crap after that is pretty much a blueprint for building church control structures. Anyway, we got to discussing the discrepancies between What Jesus Said and how the Christian church operates. His contention, and I'd never thought of it this way, was that the Words of Jesus were meant for the contemporary Jews, not for the Christians. The importance of Jesus was wrapped up in the prophecy, not his words and deeds (which, to my way of thinking, are about the only good part of the book). Anyway, that was an eye-opener for me, and it explains a lot. No wonder the church sucks.
2. A friend of mine has had way too much experience dealing with the insane, and one of the lessons he has taken from this is that insanity is contagious. It's hard to live among the mad and not become like them. You can't really communicate with them without getting your head in that same space. The application of this idea to religion is probably pretty obvious....
no subject
I had "issues" with Cyborg, though. Characters that are kinda crazy but mostly just "wacky" like, they're just in their own world and could live there happily wearing rabbit masks. Also - the patient that cures another patient when the doctors can't. Ugh. So. Hacky.
I liked, it though. Especially the picture book! And, of course, it was gorgeous.
no subject
I kinda like that guy, even though he believes Jesus is real. It's hard to dislike a religion that believes all people should be loved, even if they think they really are going to heaven.
no subject
no subject