Earth – is a madhouse of our galaxy.

Once in a certain kingdom, there lived a sage was that many, many things he knew. And there lived a powerful evil wizard, who has decided to make the whole kingdom big nasty (because it was evil). Namely, one day he poisoned the entire water of the kingdom, as people drank of the poisoned water, so just went crazy. But the sage had somehow learned of his malice and pre-made supplies of clean water in his cave. When the whole population of the kingdom has gone mad, he alone remained normal (because they do not drink poisoned water). But the irony was that everyone thought the opposite – a wise man mad (not them). When at last he got tired look crazy, it purposely, just drank the poisoned water and mad for real. But all the people thought, “He cured” – so he became like others – normally abnormal.

Here is a beautiful Sufi parable. Although it has yet another, more cheerful ending: the sage only pretended to drink of the poisoned water, and all of his normal behavior abnormalities (without which it can not join the human society) nothing more than acting. Or “controlled folly”. This cheerful term – “controlled folly” came to us and Carlos Castaneda’s books, where his teacher – a wise Indian Don Juan used “controlled folly” to describe his relationship with human society.

But back to normal abnormality. Here’s how you think, whether or not all so-called “normal” people really normal? Something I have serious doubts about this. And people are abnormal, there are different patrons psychiatric hospitals, can all their abnormality only in the fact that they were not able to integrate into human society, to fit into society, to adapt to it. And where do the line between normal and abnormal? Perhaps this question will remain open more than one century. There’s a terrorist from Norway at first glance it seemed was quite normal, law-abiding, good citizen, and suddenly, for no apparent reason took and killed so many people.

In addition, many outstanding, creative people: musicians, artists, writers were almost on the verge of the so called normality (in psychology it is called – “limit or marginal” condition). These creative and eccentric people often pass this line. For example, an outstanding artist Van Gogh cut off his ear, and then did suicide.

If you take the definition of psychological normality – an abnormality, then this is simply no clear definition, and can not be. (While that thought may be true normality appears as the ability to take responsibility for their lives). In the Middle Ages, the so-called abnormal people could be considered possessed by the devil, and for medicinal purposes to burn at the stake. Of course, the obsession with devils and demons is one of the causes of abnormality and insanity. From the perspective of modern psychology and psychiatry, these people are mentally ill, and from the point of view of religion – they are obsessed with the evil force and need not psychiatric treatment, and experienced priest exorcist, who may hold the rite of expelling evil spirits from a man (exorcism).

But apart from people possessed by evil spirits, Western psychologists and psychiatrists considered abnormal anyone who does not fit into their view of “normality”. (And this is a manifestation of our normal abnormalities – considered abnormal those who do not like us). So famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once was recognized as abnormal and some time in the loony. Hospital. For a long time Western psychology is considered abnormal and crazy shaman, citing the fact that during the magical communication with the spirits, the so-called ritual shamanic ritual, shamans behave, to put it mildly, not quite adequate. And only recently psychologists and psychiatrists have recognized shamans, it is healthy, normal and appropriate people. And indeed, when shamans go into a trance, do not communicate with the spirits, they are pretty well behaved. Moreover, the advanced modern psychology radically changed its attitude to the shamans and now the opposite is trying to combine shamanic ritual practices with different psychotherapeutic methods. (So to me a couple of years ago I had a chance to take part in shamanic psychological training, which was conducted in Crimea on the picturesque Cape Aya, psychologists from Kharkov)

So shamans in vogue, they are no longer considered crazy, in fact, on the contrary recognized mega normal. And what if a normal-abnormal – just a craze. They say that fashion has long gone out of fashion, but it is not. Each person is the whole world, so let us not judge his fellow man (and distant) their perceptions of “normality” (because that is the “normal” may be an illusion, a bubble). And if someone feels something slightly abnormal, that’s fine! Love and accept their abnormality, it is worth it; because it is through it manifests your unique uniqueness.