I find it interesting that the subject of "Insanity" has provoked so much
reaction.
Keith Johnstone, in "Impro - Improvisation and Theatre", said something to
the effect of "sanity is something you do, not something you are". As an
experimental psychologist, I have to say that I notice loads of 'bonkers'
people, - that is, people who, outside certain circumstances, could probably
be predicted to behave in a variety of 'inappropriate' (i.e. - not very
'workable', or 'competant',) ways. In fact, I would go so far as to say that
more of us conform to this description than don't. It just usually doesn't
matter, because the probabilities are that those circumstances won't usually
arise; and as a particularly manipulative species, we generally actively
strive for exactly this. So "sanity" might be characterised as " behaviour
conducive to the production of environmental characteristics in which the
active behaver may continue to react advantageously, for themselves, and
implicitly, for those near to them (who might have the potential to affect
survival expectations)"
Thus "insane" might be characterised as the failure to produce such
behavour; the most significant measure of insanity often seems to be
"unpredictability", because this is what humans find intrinsically most
'dangerous'.
To short circuit that a bit, it would seem that, for many of us,
unpredictability = insane, predictability = sane(enough). It seems to boil
down to 'territory', as with so may things. Interestingly, there are certain
groups of creature whose 'insanity' we are often prepared to make allowances
for: children (who know almost nothing about how the world works, and
defecate in the most socially innappropriate circumstances), and animals,
(ditto). And philosophers (joke!). It still seems to boil down to territory.
So, as long as you pretend to be sane, with a great deal of competance,
no-one will know. That's what I'm hoping, anyhow.
cheers,
ppl
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Lind" <Trickster@postmark.net>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: 29 April 2000 14:24
Subject: Re: MD The Definition of "Insanity"
> I would definitely agree that LSD alters our mental/emotional state.
> I've never said that those people who we label "insane" do not act
> "differently" - just that those differences are inherent in all of us
> and to label someone as insane only acts as a divider of people.
>
> Shalom
>
> David Lind
> Trickster@postmark.net
>
>
>
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