Dissidence and Mental Health

Much madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye;
Much sense the starkest madness.
’T is the majority
In this, as all, prevails.
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.

- Emily Dickinson, 1924

Regarding my recent frolic on the borders of madness (see next post for what sparked it), I feel I need to articulate what's going on. Hopefully this is a helpful and expressive exercise rather than a symptom of the problem.

There's a reason that revolutions are always shored up by the crazies, the marginalised, the misunderstood.  'Madmen and Revolutionaries' seem to go together like 'Oreos and Milk'. They are a good combination; better together. Unlike the obsessive, addictive and dysfunction-building snack combo, the madness that is a necessary attribute of revolution is generally seen as bad thing.

The Occupy protests are a good (and rhetorically obvious) example of this. There are many messages associated with the movement that people regard as absurd or crazy. The reality, in my opinion, is that there is some very good messages and some not so good messages. It's all about resisting the dominant paradigm.

Let's start with Insanity. To be insane is to completely reject what society deems as 'normal'. Hypothetical: I believe it is perfectly normal to take a dump on the ground when no toilets are handy. This is an (arguably) morally rational statement. Now lets say, 'I believe it is perfectly normal to take a dump In Fed square when no toilets are handy. What has changed? The reasoning is the same.

What has changed is the factual information. But what gives us meaning is the underlying moral premise. Wanting to respect the liberty of others by respecting their right not to see a live shitshow in a public area is the moral idea that gives meaning to the assertion that taking a dump in Fed sq. is wrong or crazy.

Here's the thing. It looks like the society we live in today has accepted many ambiguous moral principles as universal. THIS IS DANGEROUS TERRITORY. Dangerous both for society (and we see that danger everywhere, all the time) and dangerous for anyone that dare assert that the current way of doing things is completely (or even partially) wrong.

We live in a normative universe. The reality that we as a society and community agree upon frames our world, in a way that gives us meaning and a method of explaining things. Foucault understood this very well, and his studies on madness have disturbing implications for the state of affairs today.

Yesterday morning, I was in serious danger of embarking on a manic episode at some point. Whether or not it would have passed, or whether I would have been diagnosed and thrust into a system that problematises and stigmatises mental health is now unknowable. But the danger was there, and I believe it is because I am in a place now in my thought where it is either myself or society that is insane. Cos shit just does not add up. Dealing with the sense of alienation and victimisation that follows is an absolute must, as these feelings can generate a feedback loop that will cause you to lose friends and alienate people, being written off as a die-hard crazy in the process. To the person who put me in check, thank you for being willing to risk our friendship in the interest of my wellbeing. You are an amazing and valuable person.

To those out there that have committed themselves to the movement, stay strong. Ensure you have a strong support network of friends and family, keep in mind that this is a long term process and REMEMBER to LOOK AFTER YOURSELF. Our cause is just, and we are stronger than we know.

Take care.