Are You Going Out of Your Mind?

Often one of the most insulting things someone can say to us is, “Are you out of your mind?” But what if it is actually the coolest thing we could say? What if being out of your mind meant you are not disturbed by the madness of your mind and are more in touch with your feelings, your heart, and your freedom!

Have you ever wondered how extraordinary the mind is? How it can reach from the sublime heights of intellectual ecstasy to the depths of suicidal despair, from piercing clarity to confused schizophrenia? It is the same mind that longs for that sumptuous chocolate cake or that stunning dress or shirt, then afterwards may wonder why we ate something so rich, or lets the clothing go unworn in the closet and feels guilty that we bought it in the first place.

This mind is capable of understanding the most intricate scientific and mathematical theories and can make complicated corporate decisions, yet the same mind can get caught up in trivia and nonsense, becoming upset or even unglued over a seemingly harmless remark. It runs out lives, pushing us in all directions, from attraction to repulsion, creating endless dramas that act out our insecurities and fears.

There is no denying the importance and value of the mind–there is great brilliance and beauty here–but there is also great absurdity. Thinking, for instance, is not wrong at all, but are our thoughts constructive ones or do they generate further confusion? For no matter how intellectually astute or creative we may be, this aptitude often has little or no effect upon the habitual mind and its repetitive patterns: the fear, guilt, anxiety, neurosis, shame, and self-centeredness.