Crazy People are Poor Judges of the Sanity of Other People

There are many examples of this, because everyone is crazy in some way. But some are crazy in some ways more than others.

Lots of people are trying to analyze the latest craziness, that seems to be everywhere. And aren't doing a very good job of it.

Perhaps they should just admit, that making sense of it is impossible. And we can only describe individual cases.

I am thinking of a friend of mine, who works for an American couple, who rent their house, in a scenic area, on airbnb. They depend on her to take care of their house, and she does an excellent job of it.

If there are too many weeds, she hires someone to cut them down. If the rocks in the front of the house, are falling down the slope, into the river - she hires someone to put them back. She knows the area, and where to find the workers for each job. Something the owners, who are strangers, do not know at all.

Whenever airbnb gets a new renter for the house, they send her an email, telling her when they are coming. They rent a car at the airport, and drive to Turrialba, where the house is located. The drive is scenic, and descends through a coffee-growing area, through a potato-growing area, and through an area that grows ferns. This is a new crop, and it grows the ferns that are used in making flower arrangements.

She meets them in Turrialba (she speaks perfect American English) and shows them the way to the house. She does this by driving, in her car, back up over local mountain roads, where there are no signs to show them the way. When she gets to the house, she shows them around it. It is completely furnished, including some food in the refrigerator.

It has a good view of Volcan Turrialba (Turrialba Volcano) which can be seen from anywhere in the area, because is it so high. This volcano is not active, but produces a lot of steam! Rainwater seeps down through the rocks, until it reaches its hot interior. Where it turns into dirty steam, and heads back to the surface. This steam can be so heavy, it stops traffic at the airport - not too far away, in air miles.

This area is also used for grazing cows, and produces a lot of cheese. The cows get covered with mud, but they do not mind that too much.

Before she leaves them, she tells them she is their contact for anything they want in Turrialba. If they want to go rafting, for example (and the rafting is excellent there) she knows plenty of rafting companies.

She is running their business perfectly, but cannot run a business of her own. Whenever she tries to do that.she fails completely. And she has done this, a number of times.

This a good example of a kind of craziness - that can be an advantage, in some cases. She has lucked out, and found the perfect edge situation, for her.

Perhaps I should change the title of this to Muddy Steam from Volcan Turriaba. But I am crazy in my own way, and insist on approaching this from my own angle.

Is a Crazy Person a Bad Person?

I'm not sure if this is a good question. My first response would be "That depends on how they are crazy." Which is not much help. Our minds, that depend on our brains - are so complicated, that defining all the ways they can do wrong is impossible.

I have a book Making the DSM 5, that has been on my desk forever. This is its own summary:

In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association published the 5^th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Often referred to as the “bible” of psychiatry, the manual only classifies mental disorders and does not explain them or guide their treatment. While science should be the basis of any diagnostic system, to date, there is no knowledge on whether most conditions listed in the manual are true diseases. Moreover, in DSM-5 the overall definition of mental disorder is weak, failing to distinguish psychopathology from normality. In spite of all the progress that has been made in neuroscience over the last few decades, the psychiatric community is no closer to understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of mental disorders than it was fifty years ago.

In Making the DSM-5, prominent experts delve into the debate about psychiatric nosology and examine the conceptual and pragmatic issues underlying the new manual. While retracing the historic controversy over DSM, considering the political context and economic impact of the manual, and focusing on what was revised or left unchanged in the new edition, this timely volume addresses the main concerns of the future of psychiatry and questions whether the DSM legacy can truly improve the specialty and advance its goals. 

This is plain language, and I am sure many mental health professionals agree with it - if reluctantly. At least in the developed world - in the rest of the world, where I live now - mental health is undeveloped also. 

All we can say is that we are prone to craziness - and we should be aware of this. But, for the most part - are not. We live in a world full of insanities of many kinds - and people who are determined to not notice this. 

Our biggest problem, is not noticing that we have this big problem.