I wrote a small quip in the Philosophical One Liners thread by St. Anthony the Great which stated: At some time men will go mad and they will see someone who is not mad and attack him saying “ he is mad, he is not like us.” And then, there is always Einstein’s statement saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. I think everyone has some personal experience with that one. The first statement by St. Anthony though has had me wondering whether it is I or they sometimes. I see and hear about crazy things going on all around me but yet, during some of those times I am not bothered in the least so it must be me who is crazy. Other times, it seems that everyone else is doing just fine and enjoying life whilst I know they are crazy because what kind of person can be at ease when all is going to Hades in a hand basket? Dunno. Maybe we are all crazy but if it is indeed just me, I guess not knowing it is a definite asset whilst if I did know it and found myself weaving baskets and enjoying it, what would it matter? I mean, the story of the Emperor going out nude because he thought he had new clothes seemed very happy to do so and other than some social moral judgement being made of it, was it so bad that the guy was insane? I personally know of a guy that danced around a street light every morning at 0500 whilst waving around a dollar bill in his right hand but though it seemed crazy, he looked perfectly happy with his dancing and waving. Sometimes I thought, maybe I should be doing the same…but naw….I ain’t crazy …….or am I? For that matter……Are You Enjoying your sanity or insanity and what’s so good about it? Note: NO, I am not poking at the folks who have a true mental illness or I would have started the thread in the political section.
I think sanity is the same as rationality and insanity the same as irrationality. I'm still desperately hanging on to the former.
Yeah, me too. There’s actually a point where the rational meets the irrational and makes some sort of sense. Militarily, no sane human being would voluntarily load himself down with arms and equipment and jump from a perfectly good aircraft into a war zone but yet, from a purely military standpoint, it makes sense. Or maybe it’s just that the sane are looking for the insane to do an insane job to create sanity.
“INSANE, adj. Addicted to the conviction that others are insane.” —Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Free online version… https://www.thedevilsdictionary.com/i.html
My wife and I were doing the bed-time talking thing last night and the conversation went from an x who would wrap her hair in toilet paper in order to keep her hair style intact whilst she slept to guys who inject oil into their muscles to look muscled up. To be sure, she had never heard of people doing either of those two parts of the conversation but she did know about people who change their looks via syringe and scalpel like Madonna, Dolly Parton and such. Granted, people will do what they do and if it satisfies them then so be it but personally, I think a lot of it is bat crap crazy. Of course, there are those who think that I am a little insane to work as hard as I do at the gym at my age but at least I’m proud of the work I have done and the progress I have made without the use of synthetics…like synthol or coconut oil or sesame seed oil injected into my muscles. There is something to be said about making choices that are psychological boosters meant to satisfy what one thinks of themselves. Everyone makes those choices whether it is about hair color, makeup and exterior stuff like that but to go to the lengths that some folks do to enhance their looks and sliding by the actual work it would take otherwise is indeed insane to me. Men and women who use oil to inject into their muscles risk tumors and infections that have often resulted in the amputation of muscles and whole limbs but still, they do it anyway just to feel good about themselves. It’s nuts. Here’s a small and somewhat gross video concerning the crazy way some guys treat their body in order to feel muscled up. Frankly, if ya can’t see the actual muscle and the various striations of the fibers…it ain’t muscle. If that doesn’t seem crazy enough and if you haven’t seen Madonna after her surgeries…. https://www.bing.com/search?q=madonna+at+grammys+2023&form=APIPA1&PC=APPD Now, it’s a given that some of these folks are all happy with the choices they made and feel new and complete but again, in my book it’s crazy but then, I do not have to live with the results.
Latest news on the sanity front is that the 786 years old city of Berlin has made it legal for the ladies to bare their breasts at public swimming pools. Ya know, there’s a movement going on which demonizes men who stare or even look at women at gyms, pools, athletic events etc where women are more prone to wearing practically nothing or clothing so tight it leaves nothing to the imagination. As Yvonne pointed out when we discussed it, the very reason most ladies do it is to be noticed and if they weren’t noticed any longer, they’d get ticked. On the other hand, in my way of thinking, perhaps the ladies might just want to be happy with themselves but the crazy part is, they HAVE to know that men are mentally wired to look at potential uh….mates as it were. Then, there’s a whole other side to it. If the women want to show it all then men will eventually become so used to the spectacle that men will stop paying any attention at all which in turn will leave women no reason to go high end bra hunting or buy that deep plunge line blouse or sweater. It’s nuts but hey, I’m too old to give a dern one way or the other but if I do look, just call me a crazy old man and leave it at that.
When I was a kid in the late 50s, I would read look at the Tit Bits section of The Daily Mirror (or maybe it was The Sun) my mother's relatives would send her from England. These were the regular pulp news magazines sold on every street corner, with topless centerfolds. I've also been on nude beaches. It's no big deal. Any novelty there shall run out very quickly. Besides, there are no "standards."
I wonder if Madonna isn't trying to become the next Peggy Lee. I think they were both in their mid 60s when these pictures were taken. Madonna tried (unsuccessfully, imo) to cover the song Fever, Ms. Lee's signature song, in 1992. (I don't know if this belongs here, but that would be a different type of obsession. )
I think you might be on to something Nancy. Now, if she comes out with “Is That All There Is”, your analysis will be a winner!