When Does Sanity Cross the Line Into the Realm of Insanity?
When does sanity cross the line into the realm of insanity? Even professionals in the field of psychiatry can't give a clear and unequivocal answer to that question.
There is no well-defined line between the two, yet in courts of law, many a verdict has depended on which side of the line an act was judged to have been committed on.
It might help if someone could define exactly what sanity is, but even that is subject to interpretation.
Is sanity permanent or temporary? Is it something we float into and out of depending on our mood, or the situation we find ourselves in? Is there such a thing as temporary sanity? Are some of us lucid occasionally, and certifiably crazy the rest of the time? Thinking back on some of the characters I have met, that might be the case! Most of us daydream more than we like to admit, imagining all sorts of fantasy scenarios.
We are very imaginative in generating alternate possible ways that life could be, but when we drift off into a fantasy world of our own creation, are we sane or insane? Another way to put it, if we are not present to life as we are living it at that moment, is that sane? How much dwelling in our fantasy world do we have to do before we cross the line between sane and insane? We all have crazy notions floating around inside our heads from time to time, but we generally don't act on those impulses.
Sometimes we do, and we are apt to suffer the consequences.
Is sanity a matter of restraint, the reluctance to follow through on our impulses? Is it a matter of self-control? If so, how much control is needed to be considered sane? Is sanity a conformance to some established norm? If so, then what or who defines normal? Does the borderline between sanity and insanity depend on which society we live in? Perhaps it depends on our situation.
There are certain things that drive us crazy, but at what point are we really crazy? I bring all these questions up because I once met a guy who carried around a letter certifying his sanity, and I thought that was pretty crazy.
It's difficult enough for a psychiatrist to certify someone insane, but how do they certify someone sane? I wonder if the certification was temporary or permanent!
There is no well-defined line between the two, yet in courts of law, many a verdict has depended on which side of the line an act was judged to have been committed on.
It might help if someone could define exactly what sanity is, but even that is subject to interpretation.
Is sanity permanent or temporary? Is it something we float into and out of depending on our mood, or the situation we find ourselves in? Is there such a thing as temporary sanity? Are some of us lucid occasionally, and certifiably crazy the rest of the time? Thinking back on some of the characters I have met, that might be the case! Most of us daydream more than we like to admit, imagining all sorts of fantasy scenarios.
We are very imaginative in generating alternate possible ways that life could be, but when we drift off into a fantasy world of our own creation, are we sane or insane? Another way to put it, if we are not present to life as we are living it at that moment, is that sane? How much dwelling in our fantasy world do we have to do before we cross the line between sane and insane? We all have crazy notions floating around inside our heads from time to time, but we generally don't act on those impulses.
Sometimes we do, and we are apt to suffer the consequences.
Is sanity a matter of restraint, the reluctance to follow through on our impulses? Is it a matter of self-control? If so, how much control is needed to be considered sane? Is sanity a conformance to some established norm? If so, then what or who defines normal? Does the borderline between sanity and insanity depend on which society we live in? Perhaps it depends on our situation.
There are certain things that drive us crazy, but at what point are we really crazy? I bring all these questions up because I once met a guy who carried around a letter certifying his sanity, and I thought that was pretty crazy.
It's difficult enough for a psychiatrist to certify someone insane, but how do they certify someone sane? I wonder if the certification was temporary or permanent!