I think I'm insane?

Question

To my understanding, the definition of insane is that you do the same thing over and over and you expect a different result every time. But that is how the world works. For example, with weather you could start out every day for a month with the same temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, sunlight and cloud cover and so on; and you could get 70 degree beautiful or a hurricane or anything in between. And that's the way it is with everything in the world. So one could in fact expect that you would do the same thing over and over and get a different result everytime. That is simply reality.

Since I'm in touch with reality (because I realize the nature of reality) and therefore expect different things even if I do the same thing over and over, I'm in fact insane because I'm in touch with reality. And those who don't believe this are considered sane precisely because they live in a fantasy world where it happens the same way every time (at least in their heads).

They are sane because they are out of touch with reality. And now to show my insanity, I'd like to call these the Jesus (Jesus being my name) Paradox. Who's with me.

Answer 1

The weather scenario you present only takes into consideration the current conditions in the immediately observable area that you occupy. Sure the weather may seem the same to you from where you stand but the conditions that lead to the hurricane or the beautiful 70 degree day are just outside of your field of view. So the fact is the conditions are not the same they only appear the same from where you stand. When you keep in mind that there are constantly changing variables which many of us are oblivious to it becomes apparent that the definition of insanity may in fact be thinking that one can ever do the exact same thing more than once.

Answer 2

There's a problem here: Saying you're insane because you do the same thing and expect different results is like saying you have the flu because you sneezed once. In other words, having one mild symptom of an illness doesn't mean you have the illness itself. To be truly insane, you'd be unable to posit your logic because you'd be incapable of it: Either your brain would be too dysfunctional to articulate it or your brain would be too dysfunctional to conceptualize it. You couldn't possibly be insane if you're in touch with reality.

You might enjoy reading David Hume, he argued a lot of what you're suggesting: That our belief that doing the same thing will cause the same result could merely be superstition, a mental habit that we've acquired but which doesn't reflect the true nature of the world. He rejected the notion we can ever prove cause-and-effect: Just because one thing happens after another doesn't mean one is caused by the other. It merely means they've happened in chronological order. Incidentally, Hume was completely sane.

Answer 3

Heraclitus said everything changes. You can't step into the same river twice. The river isn't the same, you aren't the same, the meteor dustfall on Pluto isn't the same. To say we do the same thing over ignores billions of variables, many of which might be relevant. This is especially true of weather, which in the mid 20th century was our first best intro to chaos theory. The idea that the same action will get the same result is a simplification, an approximation, and in many simple cases, like openning doors or expecting the floor to hold you up, it is true.

Don't be too quick to assume you're in touch with reality. I'm sure the climbers on Mt. Hood thought the same.

Answer 4

If you think you're insane, it's very likely that you're not. You have to distinguish between reality and perception. What you think you percieve is not always what is going on. When you think you see the sun rise or set, that's only your perception. The reality is, the earth spins, and the sun does no such thing as rise or set. See where I'am going with this?

You seem to be asking a physics question, while looking for a psyhiatric answer.

Answer 5

Dear child, you are not insane.

Reality is unlimited and expands in all directions as utter bliss. Take care to examine your human life as well as your divine principle. And when speaking, it is always polite to address a power higher than you, that is the secret to unlimited heaven, even though you are the highest principle, you give yourself to a higher God so that your self can attain an even higher state. It is not fantasy, it is endless possibility, but the greatest possibility, is love.

Answer 6

Life is a creative place full of joy and happiness that's found by fulfilling ones dreams and goals and ambitions relative to ones attitude my mother told me. in reality it is one of doubt for most people which cuts off the Spirit withins guidance. once you let go and let the Spirit guide you then life is just what it is in accordance with natural and truly knowledgeable Godly spiritual laws realizing of course that were in the world but not of it.This said I find myself doubting myself sometimes. but this is of course natural in the worldly ways of life but not spiritual in any sense. so one must keep ones attention on the Spirit and thus will make life truly real and will lead one on to even more true realizations.Have Faith. onward we must go . Your attitude is what controls so much.your mind is a tool. use it as such.your in control of it. not the other way around.when weird thoughts come in. just let them go on back out without attaching yourself to them.give them to the spirit. it will take care of them.God can do a much better job then you can, I have found this to be true. I wish you well. and hope you have a very Merry Christmas

Answer 7

You're raining on my parade. That definition of insanity sounds like something out of a Cracker-Jacks box. Another definiton of insanity is the inability to hold two conflicting opinions at once. And that sounds like it's out of a box of Wheaties. I think you are perfectly norbal.

Answer 8

There is nothing wrong with you sanity!

Stop calling yourself insane.!

You are as normal (whatever that truly means) as the rest of us!

Answer 9

That's a "popular" definition of insanity. It has absolutely nothing to do with clinical diagnoses of insanity.

Answer 10

I asked my girlfriend what she thought about when reading your comments. She said your nuts.