I have known for awhile that I wanted to be a psychology major. I seem to be one of those people that others find easy to talk to about their problems. For me, it seems like a calling. I love being able to reach out and help a person in need.
Sitting there, watching Susanna and the other characters experiencing dark issues, each of them unsure of where to turn or how to face their fears, that calling became even more real to me. I realized that my experience giving advice to friends and strangers was no where near the type of experience needed for the characters that suffered onscreen. But, they inspired me. Each character presented an issue that made me want to jump into the screen and sit across from them in a comfortable chair.
So badly, I wanted to reassure Susanna that crazy really is sane amplified. I truly do believe that the pathological liars of the world, the obsessive compulsive people that live among us, and the sociopaths are just people struggling in the darkness of the world, so unsure of themselves that indulging in their faults, feeling that small amount of control, does not make them crazy. Lisa struggled with her identity and insecurities--instead of facing those fears she pulled out the weaknesses of others, thrusting them in their faces, just so for a period of time her issues did not seem so great or suffocating. Susanna indulged in avoidance, unwilling to face the reality that her life was changing and she had to face major decisions. Polly needed the reassurance that kindness overcame any of her physical insecurities. Georgina compensated for her shortcomings with fantastic tales, not wanting to acknowledge that the real world does not include magical shoes with perfect, happy endings. Each person struggles to overcome their faults and insecurities. When it comes to those moments, the decision to embrace and overcome such weaknesses or to indulge in the false power that lies in avoiding such faults, seems immense and too difficult to handle. So, I guess, you can either face them, or stuff the crazy pills in your pocket and trade them for a different, unhealthily quick fix.
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I like the way you address the idea posed in class relating to the idea of crazy meaning 'sane amplified'. We all have our own insecurities about ourselves, and like Lisa, we often put others down to make ourselves seem more important or less disturbed. It is so easy for us to judge those that seem worse off than us, than to actually look at our own faults and to look at how we ourselves often slip into our own states if insanity. We are only really sane when we can look at our personal faults and try and find ways to overcome them in unselfish ways. Modern psychology especially, is so quick to diagnose you as mentally insane and then to prescribe a medication to help you cope. However, those who are really strong are the ones who search for ways to attack their underlying problems by natural means and self discovery.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brittany's comment...to an extent. I agree that "those who are really strong are the ones who search for ways to attack their underlying problems by natural means and self discovery;" however, I think it is a bit unfair to discredit those who are strong enough to admit that there are some things beyond their control, such as chemical imbalances in the brain, and take the proper steps in correcting those imbalances via medication prescribed by an expert. Yes, it takes a strong person to overcome their demons, but it also takes a strong person to recognize the problems that require outside assistance to resolve.
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