Sane or Insane

Insanity is a misconception of reality. Insisting that there is a pink elephant in the room when no such creature can be observed by anyone else present, is probably an indication of insanity. A skeptic may of course object that for all you know it may be the other way around: those who don’t see that pink elephant may be insane. But we don’t really believe that, do we? Still, it is a valid question: What perception of reality is entitled to be called mentally healthy?

It can’t be the majority view since collective madness is sometimes observed. Masses of people may in a burst of changing fashion accept today what was deemed crazy yesterday and sometimes even follow their leader into self-destruction.

Then who is to judge what’s insane? Well, this question misses the point. Who? You, anyone. It’s less important to figure out who is right than to acknowledge that someone is right and then look for what this right may be. There is a reality, and outside of this reality there is insanity.

We all lapse into temporary delusions, and we are all the time guilty of minor misconceptions, but it’s to be hoped that we are generally correct about our main sense perceptions; there is no pink elephant in the room.

We generally have to rely on our senses, or else we are sure to go insane since we would lose all connection with reality. And in spite of all uncertainty and varying state of mind, there is probably a stable core that protects us against outright madness. Even the medically affirmed conditions of insanity will probably have a stable basis that contrasts their delusion, a previous state of realism or an unaffected part of their mind that they have in common with the rest of us.

It’s a mad world, but something makes sense.