What is your personal definition of sanity and insanity?

[asdf2231]

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DarkTirade  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 08:58 AM
Original message
Question for the Lounge: What is your personal definition of sanity and insanity?
There are a lot of people in this world, like myself, whose brains really just don't work like most people's. I see things differently. I think of things differently. I honestly function differently in many ways. And it really does get in the way sometimes. There are a lot of things that a 'normal' person can do in life that I just can't. And there are a lot of things I do in life that a 'normal' person would never even consider doing.

Does this mean I'm not sane? A lot of our greatest thinkers were people who saw things and thought differently than the norm. Einstein's the first example that pops into my head. The guy was barely functional on a basic level, and yet he was a genius in other ways.
 

YankeyMCC  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 09:10 AM
Response to Original message
2. Two ways to look at it
 Normally people define insanity by how far out of the norm - the consensus view of reality - you are. This is pretty good for extreme cases - thinking your Santa Claus or somesuch - or that a 'hockey mom' governor from AK is qualified to take over as US Prez

But what I think is a more important measure of insanity is if you consistantly make choices contrary to your own happiness. That definition allows for the glorious diversity of humanity and just relies on a measure of harm or benefit a person's decisions lead to.

philboy  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 10:37 AM
Response to Original message
5. Insanity is like irony. They both are hard to define, but you know them when you see them...
 Most people can look at a situation and say..."that's ironic". But when asked to define irony without looking it up in the dictionary, most people have a difficult time.

Also, most people can look at a person and say"That guy is ****ing insane", but we can't actually define insanity.

You are not insane.

Yeppers DU...  You are all JUUUUUST fine.

Now log off and take the big pink pill before craft time.  We're making "Chimpeachment" posters out of macaronni today!

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8140187

DarkTirade  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 08:58 AM
Original message
Question for the Lounge: What is your personal definition of sanity and insanity?
There are a lot of people in this world, like myself, whose brains really just don't work like most people's. I see things differently. I think of things differently. I honestly function differently in many ways. And it really does get in the way sometimes. There are a lot of things that a 'normal' person can do in life that I just can't. And there are a lot of things I do in life that a 'normal' person would never even consider doing.

Does this mean I'm not sane? A lot of our greatest thinkers were people who saw things and thought differently than the norm. Einstein's the first example that pops into my head. The guy was barely functional on a basic level, and yet he was a genius in other ways.
 

YankeyMCC  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 09:10 AM
Response to Original message
2. Two ways to look at it
 Normally people define insanity by how far out of the norm - the consensus view of reality - you are. This is pretty good for extreme cases - thinking your Santa Claus or somesuch - or that a 'hockey mom' governor from AK is qualified to take over as US Prez

But what I think is a more important measure of insanity is if you consistantly make choices contrary to your own happiness. That definition allows for the glorious diversity of humanity and just relies on a measure of harm or benefit a person's decisions lead to.

philboy  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-03-08 10:37 AM
Response to Original message
5. Insanity is like irony. They both are hard to define, but you know them when you see them...
 Most people can look at a situation and say..."that's ironic". But when asked to define irony without looking it up in the dictionary, most people have a difficult time.

Also, most people can look at a person and say"That guy is ******* insane", but we can't actually define insanity.

You are not insane.

Yeppers DU...  You are all JUUUUUST fine.

Now log off and take the big pink pill before craft time.  We're making "Chimpeachment" posters out of macaronni today!

Insanity-Doing the same thing over and over the same way and expecting different results!

[franksolich]

I dunno.

Like the dark tiara primitive, my brains don't work like most other people's brains, too.

It's of course caused by being deaf.

But just because these brains don't work like most other people's brains, doesn't indicate insanity; it merely indicates a different way of looking at things.

My definition of insanity is where an individual purposely and willfully causes damage to himself and to others, in the spiritual, intellectual, and physical senses.

Which pretty much sums up the primitives on Skins's island.

[PatriotGame]

We're making "Chimpeachment" posters out of macaronni today!

Hey! What a great idea for a weekend of fun. Maybe ASDF can help with some ideas. 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Insanity = A characteristic of those posting at the DUmp

Sanity = A characteristic of those NOT posting at the DUmp

(Moles are excluded from the above rules)