What is meant by madness? Most people thing of people who are crazy or thinks in a different way. The majority of people in the town where I live see me that way and well I look at it in a positive way, it means that I am left alone and I am able to do my own thing. As an author I know that there is a need to be different from everyone else. When I think of madness, I see it as someone who is overly focused on the things they are doing in their own lives.
When it comes down to the fact of the matter, I would say that everyone on this planet we call home are just a little off. The reason why everyone is different from each other. So then comes a huge question and that is what is normal? Over the years there have been people who explains normal through what society passes as normal and as well as crazy.
What does society deem normal? The question can be answered in as many ways as there are people who live on Earth. The reason I say that is because what I think is different from society and I hope it is the same with you. However, society says that the normal is working 9 – 5, Monday to Friday and having the weekends off. As well to have a car, house, wife/husband, kids and maybe some extra money saved away for retirement. This is the western vision and I ask this to society, how many in the western world really have that without being in debt?
This is where the madness comes in. Everyone or I should say, most are chasing this normal vision. This means that if you have a job, you have the income to live this way. I would like to say that there are more people who are working a full-time job that are living below the poverty line and can not reach this vision. This is true madness and it is society norm has never fit me and I would say most people in the western world.
It has always been to keep up with the guys up the street. They buy a new car so you figure that you need to have a new car even though you still have payments on the one you have. In the same breath you are deep in debt and that is where the true madness is in our western society. It is the same for the other in the eastern society because they have their own demands to. I would not know what their thoughts are as I have not studied that much on eastern wisdom. In all it comes down to the society norms that happen in the country you live in.
Here is the next question, why put yourself into debt to keep up with the people up the street and the demands of society? Now the answer is because society says so. It does not matter that the guy up the street owns his own business and can afford a new car. It is seen as he/she has a new car is all that you see not knowing their business.
Over the years I have broke out of what society has to say. For the first seven years after I moved out of my parent’s place, I got myself into a debt load trying to keep up with what society said I needed to do. I paid for college with loans, I had a credit card that was maxed out and other credit cards to my name. I was following the society dream so to say, however I was not happy. The one thing is I never bought a house which saved my ability to move to other cities to work as a chef.
Until I took my business course, I needed a wakeup call. Those courses made me see the problem with societies norms. Too bad I waited until I was 23 to take those classes. When I look back on it now, I had an amount of debt that was back to school debt as I had paid off what debt I accumulated in Edmonton. However, my career had led me back to school as I wanted to open a restaurant of my own and work for myself. The sad part that ended what was to be my big push as a chef to management was being diagnosed with a mental health issue, which is how society writes you off if you do not fit into the mold that you should fit in. Thus, I have been out of the society dream since January of 2005. After that I was deemed into the madness of schizophrenia which has produced a new career for me and that is as an author.
Be wise and pay attention to what is important for you. If you always want the best for your life, you will miss out on the little things because most of you are going to try and impress everyone. Remember it is not bad to follow your own vision that you have for your life. Sometimes it is better to live a quiet life with your family and living freely of being you and your dreams. It all comes down to choice and no matter which way you go, there is a little bit of madness in us all.
Stay safe.
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