Have you noticed how popular the concept of madness seems these days - as if being mentally unhinged brings with it some form of status? Countless pieces of pop culture glamourise and glorify it, often including the violence to which it might lead. Being a writer, I fully understand that for the most part, these things are said in jest. People feel trapped by the humdrum happenings of everyday life and so claim insanity as a form of escapism.
However, I believe there's an important distinction to be made between true madness and healthy creativity. Possessing talent - whether in art, music, fashion, etcetera - allows one to harness the power of their mind and give an idea physical substance. Having a unique perspective on life and channeling it into something meaningful or beautiful is a goal to which people should rightly aspire. Real, unadulterated madness is not.
Having come into contact with someone who suffers from obvious mental health issues, I can tell you that there is nothing charming or poetic about it. When a person's mind malfunctions in the serious sense, all that follows is fear and destruction; you don't get to enter your own version of Alice in Wonderland and meet the charmingly eccentric Mad Hatter or March Hare.
Mental illness can take a loved one and turn them into a monster before your eyes. Perhaps the most frightening thing about it is that people who truly need help are often unable to see or accept that they have a problem, and will therefore blame the damage and pain they cause on anyone or anything but themselves.
So, what am I trying to say here? I guess I'm telling you to be odd, be strange or even a little whacky. But please, for your own sake and others', keep a firm grip on your mind.
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