As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
-Proverbs 23:7
The other day on the way to church I saw a homeless woman on a street corner screaming violently at absolutely no one. She was holding a sign so I assumed she was a panhandler and her clothes were ratted and destroyed. My first thought was that the production she was putting on was all a ruse to invoke sympathy and more donations. This very well could have been true but the conviction she showed while chastising the imaginary person on the street corner standing next to her was extremely convincing.
The human mind is incredible. Since creation, human beings have challenged themselves to adapt, overcome and conquer the world around them. All the while, we have been developing the efficiency and quality of using our most powerful tool, our brain. The imagination has become a mere stepping-stone to reality and the world has become a smaller place because of forward and progressive thinkers. As a father, I have watched my children grow from observing the world to impacting and manipulating it to fit their needs. Being in one’s “right mind” unveils limitless possibilities for the individual and the world in general. Losing one’s mind, in any capacity, makes the impossible an unfortunate way of life.
The woman I saw had obviously been betrayed by her mind. She appeared to be trapped in a virtual prison that I can only imagine was inconceivable to live in and impossible to escape. Though it would be easy to write the woman off as merely crazy, the fact of the matter is that her brain tells lies that mine does not. My brain informs me daily to wake up, perform hygiene, eat breakfast and go to work. My mind is my guide; it helps me to reason and rhyme. It assists me in sifting through the infinite amount of information and stimulation that I encounter daily. I couldn’t imagine living in the contrary.
Imagine your mind insisting to you that there are people who exist that are not there, and that the imaginary people are rude and imposing. A life of complete and utter fantasy can be both disturbing and tiresome. The level of imprisonment for some may not be so extreme. There are those who are so overwhelmed by depression that they have been convinced that life is not worth living. There are others whose mind has bombarded them with thoughts of grandeur and power beyond that of any human being. We have all witnessed the impossible conundrum that putting faith in an unhealthy brain can create.
So do we offer a pass to individuals living in the deception of their minds? Should we understand when insanity becomes normality? To be honest, I don’t know. I find it a hard pill to swallow prosecuting and punishing a person who honestly believes that he is the risen Son of God and that his legacy includes killing his followers. I also secretly weep for the person who attempts to kill themselves so that the voices they hear so clearly in their mind will cease, if only for a moment. I find it equally devastating to allow these individuals to go untreated.
The human mind is a remarkable thing and when it is healthy it holds the tools to answer questions man has pondered since the beginning of time. Equally, it has the power to imprison its owner in a place of solitude and terror. Be careful with your thoughts because they truly will reveal the reality of who you are, regardless of what you think you are.
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