When Columbus set sail in search of the new world, he had already done the hardest part. He had overcome his own fears and challenged the dominant beliefs of his time. He had persuaded many other people to take a huge risk at a time when everyone thought his goals were crazy. He created a plan, found support, built a team, and set sail into uncharted waters.
One might credibly argue that Columbus and his team faced tremendous hardships during the voyage that made it the hardest part of the whole affair. Yet he wouldn't have even faced them without first challenging the beliefs that were in the way.
In a similar way, there are several beliefs that are in the way of achieving Results Worth Striving For. Some of these beliefs are embedded in the model of mental illness and must be challenged.
"In the way" beliefs include the very definitions of depression, mania, hallucination, and delusion themselves. Also on the list are the belief that mental conditions are a disability or an illness, that it is a mood disorder instead of a behavior disorder, and that our situation is somehow special.
It is easy to dismiss the ideas in this section as delusional without considering the possibility that there may be some truth in them. Just as everyone thought that Columbus was "crazy," far too many will choose to label me as "crazy" so they do not have to face their own fears or wrestle with their own misconceptions.
The definition of insanity is often joked about as "doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." Clinging to the old beliefs is clearly not working. Refusing to consider that our beliefs may be part of the problem is certainly insane. Perhaps it takes a "crazy" person to help redefine what it means to live with a mental condition.
Comments are closed.