Oct 11 2023: the shaman on the bridge
Oct. 18th, 2023 04:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eerietomI took my tincture and decided to walk across the Tilikum Crossing. As I neared the halfway point, a man approached from the other direction. He was shouting, though at nobody in particular. It wasn’t English or any language I recognized, nor did it sound like what little I know about African, Asian, or Eastern European languages. He wasn’t slurring or just randomly swearing; it sounded like distinct words. I could’ve easily transcribed phonetically what he was saying. More than likely, the man had mental health issues, but I thought about Thomas Szasz’s 1961 book, The Myth of Mental Illness, which postulates, per Wikipedia:
I had to wonder, "What is going through this guy’s head where shouting these words makes sense for him?" I decided (rather fancifully; don’t forget I was stoned) he was someone who was able to teleport back and forth between Earth and another planet or dimension, only something had gone wrong and his body stayed here and his mind went there. He was being besieged elsewhere by some threat, and using magic words to drive it away, unaware how people around his physical self here on Earth were responding to his actions. I felt awed, like I was in the presence of a shaman. Once he was out of earshot, I said quietly, “You fight the good fight, sir!” and gave a little bow in his direction. Whatever was actually going on with him, however, I hope he finds peace.
Later, I stopped for ice cream and sat on a little bench, watching the traffic on Division and the passersby. I hadn’t shaved for a few days and in my state, it didn’t take much to start giggling at any random thought. I’m sure anyone walking by thought I was some shabby eccentric. But I suddenly saw myself at age 100 (I had formerly seen a vision of myself at age 95), sitting in public, not a care in the world, stoned, and hoping anyone who saw me thought, “This weird guy is having a grand ol’ time!”
Not the worst way to spend one’s day. :-)
| Szasz argues that it does not make sense to classify psychological problems as diseases or illnesses, and that speaking of “mental illness” involves a logical or conceptual error. In his view, the term “mental illness” is an inappropriate metaphor and there are no true illnesses of the mind. |
I had to wonder, "What is going through this guy’s head where shouting these words makes sense for him?" I decided (rather fancifully; don’t forget I was stoned) he was someone who was able to teleport back and forth between Earth and another planet or dimension, only something had gone wrong and his body stayed here and his mind went there. He was being besieged elsewhere by some threat, and using magic words to drive it away, unaware how people around his physical self here on Earth were responding to his actions. I felt awed, like I was in the presence of a shaman. Once he was out of earshot, I said quietly, “You fight the good fight, sir!” and gave a little bow in his direction. Whatever was actually going on with him, however, I hope he finds peace.
Later, I stopped for ice cream and sat on a little bench, watching the traffic on Division and the passersby. I hadn’t shaved for a few days and in my state, it didn’t take much to start giggling at any random thought. I’m sure anyone walking by thought I was some shabby eccentric. But I suddenly saw myself at age 100 (I had formerly seen a vision of myself at age 95), sitting in public, not a care in the world, stoned, and hoping anyone who saw me thought, “This weird guy is having a grand ol’ time!”
Not the worst way to spend one’s day. :-)
