____T.H.E. .P.A.S.S.

____Remember The Headphones

Suffering from another case of wanting to write so much, but haven't really organised my thoughts. Spent Tuesday night with the Catalans, this time in Bruce's house. Like many other nights spent together, Wilson was the one who lead the conversations. Topics that always interest me, and spark thinking. Although we've only known each other for less than two years, we've developed a friendship that I hardly can find nowadays. Seems like he'll be a major influence in me for years to come.

Ever thought about what is mad? "Mad is odd" or so Wilson claimed. I agree to some degree. Mad people are so because of the fact that they have no situational awareness in them. In many cases, their brains have damaged and they behave strangely. They have no sense of social norms. They are the odd people in the society - the outcasts. The ones that the so-called "normal" people tend to stay away from.

However, as I thought about it, there is also reason to believe that mad people are mad because they choose to do so. Think about a girl who had a bad time living with her stepfather, who constantly assaulted her sexually. Imagine the amount of damage done to her psychologically - she would fear any men that came in her way. This damage have done her brain harm - psychological harm and not physical harm. Realising that acting strangely would have kept the men away, she chose to become mad.

Why did I use the word "chose"? Freedom means having the option of choice. And that by doing so, the girl would have effectively kept men away for the simple reason that "normal" people tend to stay away from the odd. And if you think about it, when one is labelled a "mad person", imagine that amount of freedom he receives from just the label!

A mad person can do almost anything he likes and get away with it. He can suddenly yell out loud right in the middle of Orchard Road and do a little jiggly-like dance and really don't give a damn about what others might say. People can stare at him, laugh at him, chastise him but in the end, he would have nothing to lose. You can say that a person who chooses to be mad have "seen through everything" and that "anything doesn't matter anymore". Pride doesn't matter anymore, "face" is thrown, but what the hell, who gives a damn?

On the other hand, not everyone can choose to be mad. It takes a lot of courage and often it is also the result of a major setback or a psychological attack. This is because when you choose to be mad, it would mean that you lose the people around you. You would lose the emotional growth the the people around you can offer. Your friends leave you because they feel that they cannot gain emotionally from you. You are not expected to carry out a sensible conversation.

Those who do not belief me, try doing something mad when you walk along Orchard Road one fine day with a group of friends. When I mean mad, I mean stark raving mad. Embarrassing yourself and the friends around you, and then look to see if your friends still acknowledge you.

However, that would be a process of learning. Learning to be able to throw away your pride and "face" and experience the courage that is needed to do so. Everyone should try to be mad at least once. Do something crazy in Orchard Road, wear headphones and listen to music if you need to do so - just to boost your courage. The idea is to look stupid, idiotic, out-of-place and potentially funny, not something illegal like standing in the middle of a road. I don't mean dancing like a boyband when you're already a good dancer.

I suggest doing a 360 degree spin, then moonwalk, ending with a hand grabbing your crotch and going "AW!" - like what Micheal Jackson would do. 5 minutes of madness would do. Chances are, you would not be able to pull it off (but that's the idea) and attact a lot of stares and potential laughter. And while you are being drowned in all the laughter and curious stares, you would have experienced something. You would have learnt to give up your pride.

As you walk away, you are triumphant. You would have won the battle. And the snigger that would have been the loudest would be yours because all the rest didn't realise the reason for the 5 minutes of madness... All except you.

---------------------------------