I seem to be one of the few people who uses the word “saint” other than in the name of a church down the street or a city named for a saint to which it has long since lost any connection. The idea that it is possible to become a saint is so utterly preposterous as to enrage many people for the sheer mention of it.
The New Oxford American English Dictionary, 2nd Edition defines a saint as “a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.”12
Wikipedia has an interesting page about saints and even talks about the concept of sainthood being common to nearly all religions.13 My studies of various religions confirm this idea: all faiths look up to those who rise above their circumstances and choose to act in a more perfect manner.
Krishna said: “out of a thousand people, one wants to know me. Out of a thousand who wants to know me, one actually does.”14 In the context of the Bhagavad Gita15, what he meant is that one person out of a million actually realizes the potential in all of us to become a saint. I personally find it very encouraging that one in a million can become saints. The common conception is that it is impossible except for the rare few in every century. With the current world population at 6.5 billion16 that makes 6,500 saints walking around today, 36 of them in California.17 My odds of becoming a saint are almost as good as my odds of becoming a congressman.
It all depends on what you call a saint. The classic definition is a person who is admired or venerated because of their virtue. Others say a saint is someone who has a personal contact with God. Although I agree with the mystical component, I think the primary qualification of a saint is to act like one.
Having studied the lives of saints for many years, it is the possibility that I may someday act like a saint that motivates me to become a better person. In my foolish pursuit of the “high” associated with alleged contact with God, I completely missed the point. It is not the feelings one gets in meditation that makes one a saint, it is the feelings other people get in one’s presence that matters. That feeling is most often a result of acting “saintly” by choosing to act in the best way possible for every given circumstance.
A Saint Is A Sinner Who Never Gave Up18
One of the most overlooked aspects of the saints is that they were not born that way. The great thing about saints is the example they set; one that anyone can achieve. Many saints did things that would shame a bipolar, yet at some point in their lives were able to transcend their tendencies and change themselves.
In the two years since writing The Bipolar Advantage, I have been through some remarkable changes. I have had more spiritual growth in the last year than all of the previous years combined. I believe it is a direct result of admitting my flaws and using introspection to find a better way to act. I used to pursue the experience of peace through meditation and contemplation alone, but I now find that acting properly gives me a “peace which surpasses all understanding.”19I am not the same man who I was even a year ago. I am beginning to become someone that I can be proud of, and hopefully will continue on a path of improvement for the rest of my life. Maybe some day I will be able to act “saintly” all of the time and inspire others to try to act the same.
Another overlooked aspect of sainthood is that they weren’t necessarily perfect in all ways. Saint Joan of Arc was probably bipolar. If you wonder what rage looks like, look no further than the story of Joan of Arc.20 She was out of control in so many ways, yet somehow inspired her whole nation. Although Joan also showed signs of depression, I chose others for this book because her example is mostly about the manic side.
As you read the lives of the saints in this book, I hope you notice that their lives were not perfect either. Each of the saints were endowed with traits we should admire along with struggles to improve themselves that lasted to the end of their lives.
The point is, being a saint is possible for each and every one of us. The beauty of the concept of sainthood is that it is something we can all achieve, no matter what our past or current circumstances. For many, our greatest flaws can be turned into the path to sainthood. The real path to sainthood is in recognizing who we really are and determining to change those aspects of ourselves that keep us less than what we can be.
The lives of those who have followed the path to sainthood can be a great inspiration and guide for our own journey. In my struggles to find anything good about depression, it was the examples set by many saints that made me “see the light” that even depression can be seen as an advantage. The stories of their lives can be the stories of our own.
In choosing who to describe in this book, I was amazed to find that there are so many saints across every religion who had depression. My choices were based on my familiarity with them and how they would illustrate each aspect of depression - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Even more amazing is how depression was more than just a part of their lives - it was a big factor in their conversion from mere mortal to a life to revere. I hope that in reading their life stories, you will be inspired to change your own life into a story that inspires others.
Footnotes:12 New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition ,2005, Oxford University Press, USA
13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint
14 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter VII, verse 3, translated by Parahmahansa Yogananda. 1995, Self Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles
15 Bhagavad Gita, translated by Parahmahansa Yogananda. 1995, Self Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles
16 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population
17 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
18 Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda, 1980 Self Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, p. 6
19 Bible, World English Bible, Philippians 4:7
20 Twain, Mark, Joan of Arc, 1989 Ignatius Press, San Francisco
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