Are you crazy?
How many of you have seen The sixth sense? You know, the movie that made M.Night Shyamalan famous. It’s the story of a boy who sees dead people that don't know they're dead and seeks the help of a child psychologist.
Mr Toastmaster, contest judges and dear guests,
I also recently consulted a psychiatrist, here is how the conversation went…
Me: I see crazy people.
Psychologist: In your dreams?
[I shake my head no]
Psychologist: While you're awake?
[I nod]
Psychologist: Crazy people like, in mental institutions? Did you go to Ranchi?
Me: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're crazy.
It’s true. I see crazy people all the time; they are everywhere. I even see some in this room.
I get on a bus, and they are there. When I was in college, I once boarded a packed bus and I was hanging on to the rod for my dear life. The bus was speeding past other cars as if racing on a formula 1 track. There was suddenly a tap on my shoulders. I looked around and there was a man who was also hanging just like me. He looked like a saint, had a beard and was wearing grey robes. I thought maybe he wanted to discuss the philosophy of life – the inner meaning of this precarious situation and what it means in the after life. But, he had an even deeper question for me, of which I had no answer to. While another bus whooshed past me, he raised the solemn question, “Boss, why are you pushing me?” Crazy!
I turn on the TV and I see madness. A few months back when Suchitra Sen was admitted in hospital, I was watching an interview of her biographer, who was talking about Suchitra Sen’s favourite food items. Suddenly the breaking news flashed on the screen: I feared for the worst and …. There it was…
Suchitra Sen loved to eat jalebis in the morning. The prime time breaking news on a television channel: Suchitra Sen loves to eat jalebis. Crazy.
After analyzing all these situations, I have come to the conclusion that there are only 2 types of people in this world. Normal and crazy. The difference between the 2 groups is that the crazy people think that the world is normal and the normal people don’t realize that they are crazy themselves.
People in Nadia, a village in Bengal, call Sangeeta crazy. Sangeeta and Rina go to the same school every morning. Rina is in class 3, Sangeeta is in class 11. Sangeeta is Rina’s mother. Sangeeta had to leave school when she was in class 8 because her father couldn’t afford her tution. But all these years later, when her daughters were in school, she felt an inner urge to go back to school. She recently sat for her class 10 exams and cleared it with 63% marks.-Crazy!
So is Sangeeta really crazy? How does one know whether one is crazy? There are actually books on the market titled: Are You Crazy?: 18 Scientific Quizzes to Test Yourself
No, I am not asking you to buy that book.
I have an easier set of questions for you.
Do you feel that inner calling, that urge to do something different? Are your ambitions off the beaten track? Can you think outside the box or when there is no box? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then my friend, I have news for you. Believe it or not, you are crazy!
So now, what do you do?
Rabindranath Tagore had some ideas to counter that,
He who calls you lunatic today and throws dust in your eyes,
Will honour you tomorrow with a garland
Every great idea, every great thinker have been called mad at first
Just because the other people, whatever their pedigree criticize you, please don’t lose hope. Just because they are great, doesn’t mean they are not crazy! In 1943, Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” –Crazy! Albert Einstein just before the Manhattan project said, “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable.”-Crazy! Just before this week, many people in this room said that India would never win an individual gold in Olympics- Crazy! I told you – I see crazy people in this room. So, the next time you have a crazy idea, say quit your job to join an NGO, go back to school, or win an Olympic Gold medal for India …Do remember that you will hear voices all around : “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… Don’t forget to answer: Well, I am! Aren’t you?
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