Crazy or Not

One morning at the local supermarket magazine stand, a woman started telling me about her step-daughter. “Poor girl,” she said, “We had to have her committed because she just won’t behave. She’s 18 years old and she throws tantrums and has a lifestyle we don’t like”. She went on and on about how this young woman was crazy. Then she made the statement, “And the State of Washington protects these people!” All the while, I listened. After about 10 minutes, I had to say to her, “So. A person who doesn’t live their life the way you like, is crazy?!” Her mouth dropped open and she stumbled for words. I continued, “The poor girl throws tantrums. Don’t you know that she throws tantrums because it is the only way to get attention! No one is listening to her. “The woman stomped off and drove her cart around to the next aisle. The next thing I knew, the front end supervisor was asking me what I had done to that woman. There was no concern that she had offended me to a great degree. She had gone to the front of the store and asked to see a manager to have me thrown out of the store.

Who gives these people their power? They are obviously controller, manipulators who expect the world to go according to their plan. Every day, people are confined based upon the demands of their supposed loved ones. Because a person chooses to live by a certain set of ethics, values or beliefs, family members contact local authorities to have their loved ones confined. Actually, you don’t even have to be a loved one. There is no love involved in this kind of treatment.

As quieter, kinder, more compassionate individuals, those who have dedicated themselves to a higher set of ideals must stand firm in their beliefs and not allow people, like the woman described above, abuse or harm them. From the start, know that voluntarily going along with the demands of such people does not work in the favor of the idealist person. It actually makes the situation worse. Never go along with the changes that people want for your life, unless it is something you believe in personally. Follow your dreams and your inner strength. If the driving force of your life is not for the greater good, it will fail. No need to worry about whether it is right or wrong. If your Spiritual foundation is solid, your purpose for living must and will come to fruition.

The woman mentioned above had told the front end supervisor that I was a crazy woman. She used the same terminology for me as she had used to describe her step-daughter in her conversation with me. The fact that I did not “comfort” her or support her in her actions against the step-daughter infuriated her. She is just one of the massive numbers of people we allow to have influence on our society. It is commendable that the State of Washington does not cater to the whims of these people. In this instance, the State of Washington protects a person’s rights and enables them to have the power over their lives. A person cannot be forced to take medication or treatment that they do not personally believe in.

Stand firm, my friend. Follow your dreams. Follow your heart. Follow whatever or whoever is your god.