The Philosophy Of Mental Illness

~ Gottfried

We’re all mostly insane. I visited a family once and I must say that even though insanity didn’t run in that family, I’m convinced it strolled through, taking time to get to know each of them personally. I should have known. The first warning sign was that they all talked at the top of their voice. This one time the dad was speaking to me, and I had to remind him, in the most respectful manner, that I was only just five feet away, and that I could hear him clearly. He paused for a bit and increased the volume. Crase

What is Mental illness? Mental illness in it’s purest form is shaving off your entire eyebrows, only to draw them back on with a pencil. It doesn’t get more accurate than that. A close second will be shaving your entire hair and then proceeding to prance around in a wig. While we’re on the subject of dressing, if you live in the tropics, and I catch you on a hot Sunday afternoon in a three-piece suit, I’m 100% calling the cops on your arse. Since you don’t know how to act.

If you get offended by being called fat. Fat people have come up with so many fancy excuses for their condition. “I’m not fat, I’m chubby”. You’re right, you’re actually obese. “Don’t call me fat, I have weight and I know how to carry it”. The funniest one I’ve heard in a while is, “I’m not fat, I’m big-boned.” I’ll have you know that the Blue whale has the largest bone in the animal kingdom ever discovered. So rather than say you’re fat, can I just call you ‘whale’ instead?. Wait, why are you picking up a stone?

Beating up kids. Now I can empathize with a school sending the kids home for owing school fees, but what exactly does beating them beforehand do to help? I mean it’s bad enough my dad is poor and can’t pay my fees, in addition, you’re punishing me for the sins of my father. Will it hasten the payment? The same applies to parents. So your kid isn’t doing great at school and your reaction is to deprive them of any fun? What happens when despite this, their grades don’t improve? You go ahead to suck the life out of the poor kid? You’re ill!

Anxiety is the devil. The human body is 80% water, so we’re basically just cucumbers with anxiety. Every time you say to yourself, “What could possibly go wrong?” and Anxiety is gonna be like, “I’m glad you asked”. Anxiety really just stops your life. It’s funny that there are so many people who are former executives and have taken all that stress and anxiety and transferred it to their kids.  How to deal with anxiety? You don’t, it deals with you.

Mental illness is real. It occurred to me that many people are actually afraid to heal because their entire identity is centered around the trauma they’ve experienced. They have no idea who they are outside the trauma and that unknown can be terrifying. It’s worse when people try to argue about what you’re experiencing. So the next time someone tells you that mental illness is all in your head tell them; “Well duh, where else is it going to be, my kidneys?”

I’d like to conclude by saying that there are actual people with these mental disorders, who still somehow, despite their clear and obvious limitations, find a way to be decent human beings. Then there’s you, who thinks being called bipolar is some sort of compliment. You hide under the umbrella of being bipolar to mask the fact that you’re indeed a poor excuse for a human being. If I catch you giving someone a hard time, you gonna catch a fade.

and it won’t be from a barbershop.

© Gottfried. All rights reserved

596 thoughts on “The Philosophy Of Mental Illness”

          7. It depends in the Hysterical Committee. Pardon, the Historical Committee. I’ve walked from multiple projects when the Hysterical COmmittee wouldn’t allow me to “correct” some cadences in elevation on older projects as they indicated “not in keeping with the historic integrity.” To which, “this structure is historical and not historic. It has structural integrity, though not architectural integrity. I see you are indicating you are not going to approve me correcting these visual typos, and leave the bad-toothed architectural grammar of historical ignorance in place. Thank you for your time.Respectfully, I cannot not in good conscience proceed on this project any further due to potential aesthetic guilt by association. There may not be any accounting for taster, though I do have some.” And, walked. 🙂 Fun stuff.

            Liked by 4 people

          11. 🙂 THere’s never any charge. I simply do not dismiss my sovereignty with my own business to enable committees. They are living organisms run by people. Often experts, though nonetheless people. And, there’s a certain part of Expert Witness role that I pour out into those proceedings. They hold the cards of approval, though I’m no enabler to cow and bow and lie prostrate in front of them in a petitioning manner. I may open up with “I respectfully petition the committee to entertain my presentation and engage in its approval via the presentation today and/or any mods that come about from our questions and discussion during and afterwards.”

            I respect them… well, some of them are there to be toyed with… you know the ones… the ones with the hubris of “I’m on this committee, so I’m in charge.” Nope, not really. I’m in charge of the project and where it goes or not. They are simply in charge of requisite approvals. And, I always learn from them, sometimes even the assholes. Heck, I firmly feel that everyone’s good at something. So, some people are just good at being dicks. The others tend to help out so I can question into what their unsaid issues driving any cold shoulders any project receives. In the end I look to make a Team effort out of all involved. Some people just take more than others, and that’s a-O-k fine. In fact, if it’s too easy, I expect an “Upon further reflection letter” after. And, those are no good, unseating the seated decisions.

            To get back on topic, though, I most likely have a brand of insanity in that I thoroughly enjoy those type of proceedings. Sometimes checkers. Sometimes chess. Sometimes the ya are just SO enthused that someone is FINALLY doing something, and in a respectful remodel, with that building.

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          12. Haha, you seem like you’re ready to go hammer and thongs given the opportunity.

            That being said, it’s really difficult working in an environment that tries to snuff the life out of you.

            Liked by 3 people

          13. Nope, not difficult. I already dealt with that college and the 15 years right after. Architecture school. A 5-year Professional degree. 172 hours for a B.Arch. That’s 20 hours more than most 120 + 30 Masters programs in other field. Fresh year w start out with 444. 1 day 2nd year? 187 left. After 5 years, only 23 of my fresh class are in my Thesis Studio, and we all graduate. 23 out of 444. Attrition is a word. Prison camp is two words. You develop an anti-hysterical bias. And, when someone engages in “conflict,” I simply ask questions, because questions imply interest. I do, though, think that shaving my hackles would have been a smarter meeting prep action so my shirt/jacket don’t rise up like a stegosaurus back. Lol.

            I’ve almost dies enough times, that I’m in Bonus Play. It gives me a perspective where no matter how screechy or psychologically-issued someone’s voice is, it’s more important for the experience of the moment AND the long-term that I fully listen… though, sometimes with one half 2 ears and 2x a mouth.

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