5-5:10pm: How are you? Tell us some TRUTH from your day…
5:10-5:30pm: What singular idea are you consistently feeling in Lawson’s work? Could you write a 3 to 4-page essay on it? How would you start?
5:30-5:50pm: Open discussion on happiness… how do we get it. And more than that, what do you recommend someone do to live in a happy dimension and mind?
5:50-6pm: Discuss craziness ….. What is it? Lawson talks about it all the time, but…. What do you think?
6-6:20pm: From craziness… what’s the opposite? Is there a difference? How do we know?
6:20-6:30pm: Close… what’s on the page?
ASSIGNMENT: Finish the book by end of next week. Email me on your reading experience… what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling… informal but honest communication. Not so much a short response, but participation. I want to know what’s in your mind while reading and in between your reads.
#professormikey 
A consistent singular idea i’ve seen through Lawson’s work is strength. Throughout her book she continues to put herself out there and not care what other people think of her. She writes what she enjoys to write and doesn’t hinder herself for anyone, even her editor. I feel I could write a 3-4 page essay on this because of just how much Lawson puts herself out there it would be easy to show how much strength she has.
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I think one singular idea that I feel about Jenny’s work is her determination to live and not just a normal life, but her life, the one she wants to live. And she determined to not let herself get in the way, but when it gets hard, she understands and knows herself well enough to slow down and focus on getting her mind back where she wants to be. Then when she can, she helps others. Whether it’s helping people understand depression and anxiety more or it’s helping people with anxiety and depression not feel so alone with that battle.
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Example that brought you here?
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Well, firstly, in the chapter “The Fear” she talks about cutting herself and how she doesn’t want to die and explains how hurting herself lessens the pain going on in her head. Then when she talks about trying to take in the bright moments and living in them as long as she can because she knows it’s not going to last. But she also knows the dark times don’t last either and holds onto the good times as much as she can. Kind of like how one of my peers said the way she balances the dark and light, I like that and believe she does that pretty well. And she knows she not like everyone else and her marriage isn’t like normal but thats what she likes and what makes it good for her.
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This is your essay idea, FYI…
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Well an idea I’m leaning on exploring, yes. Should i find a different idea? Or are you just reminding me?
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Just curious if there was something specific that brought you to that idea.
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A singular idea from Lawson’s memoir that I could write about is really taking whatever may come your way in life by the horns, and not living out of fear or judgement, but in whatever way makes YOU happier. Finding what your Kangaroo heard is and inviting it to your house.
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I keep noticing how good she is at multitasking. From her writing it seems a if he is living two different lives. She has the side that she shows in public so that people llike the journalists and publishers dont think shes an absolute loon and then she has the side that hes goven us a glimpe of that has her up at 2 am doing full blown photoshoots with her cats and a dead racoon. She’s given us an inside look at how one who may be seen has crazy by societal norms lives and interacts as a functioning member of society.
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I love this. DUALITY!!
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And now Slipknot is my music of choice for the night, thanks professor!
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?
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Good choice of music.
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oh dear that face please no
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I didn’t think it would show the nasty thumbnail…. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to remove it!
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Singular idea: A phrase pops in my mind, rather… It’s fine. “Silver linings within ills.” The highs and the lows… Seeing and believing, what way, how, and why? I would find examples where she remembers the concept of love, whether that is Victor, Rory, orherself… When she is able to move forward whilst having bouts of paralyzing moments. Or when she decides to go out and experience life despite the pain… When she creates positivity and keeps trying to suffer less.. When she finds value in the little things like dust in the fucking air… all of that in defense against her inquisitive, secret battle of depression, anxiety, pain, suicide, among other variables.
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Yes, and those silver linings are gifts for readers as well, telling us that our ills and anxieties can act as bridges and illustrators for growth.
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Yup, and, I just play some Tupac and thug it out. Health permitting of course.
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One singular idea I got from Lawson’s writing was identity. It is very clear in her writing that she has had a long journey when it comes to her identity and her mental health. She learns to be comfortable identifying with her illness while also not letting it define her or consume her life any longer. Part of this is her finding joy in little things and valuing the ideas and thoughts that comes out of those experiences, and what can be taken from those moments to help others. The other part to me is her finding things she loves and things that make her laugh. Lawson makes every experience hilarious, and I think that doing this helps her know who she is in everyday life outside of the not so fun feelings she experiences every day.
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To be happy you have to figure out what makes you happy then try and get that. I would recommend people to deal with their feelings head-on because once you ignore your feeling it just builds up and gets worse.
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Good advice!!
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For me, happiness is attained by LIVING. Not caring as much, loving more, and seeing all moments as encouraging waves. You?
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Agreed once you start plaguing yourself with what other people think of you, you end up acting like yourself less and less and censoring that when instead you could not care and feel so much happier!
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I feel like happiness is based on how you look at things, you perspective on life affects how your happiness. For someone to live in happiness I recommend they find a reason to be happy, and using that reason or thought to get you through the rough times.
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I have found immense joy is happiness in being open & vulnerable with my fiancé. I realize I’ve spent my life indulging?maintaining? my avoidant attachment style.
it never felt safe to be close to people. Even my parents. I’m learning to be kinder/more open/honest. Like how Lawson fully embraces herself and where she is at in that moment.
Personal growth, enlightenment, community, learning, nature, are all so beautiful and
human. This is where I find happiness. It’s impossible to be happy 100% of the time, but like Lawson preaches, even if it’s only a few days out of the month, those golden happy imperfect moments are what we should reference. not the lies of our mental illness/messed up brains.
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This is great, Rory! Thanks for sharing!
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Happiness is everywhere. It’s not this evasive shape and arc that people think….
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Happiness is ever fleeting. Something I would tell someone, if they wanted to be more happy, to do would be to let go of the expectations you have over your control of others. People won’t change unless they want to and they try. This also means you have to let go of caring about the expectations of others. You are unable to control what other people around you do, so you may as well just do what you can to be a good person, as well as what is most healthy to you.
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I think we get happiness by doing things we love and letting go of those people or energies holding us back. One thing I recommend people to do is to forgive and move on or come to peace with that person because holding grudges and hate will never let you be happy! And do whatever you want because we don’t know when we will be leaving this earth and never get the opportunity to do so! Sometimes just put school work and everything aside and enjoy the moment because it will all be there once you come back to it or “reality” as we call it!
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Good advice!
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You can get happiness by doing things you love to do and staying away from things that may hurt you. Sometimes on a bad day, choosing to be happy can make your day that much bearable.
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While I agree that happiness is everywhere and can be found in all things, you have to be open to the idea and willing to look for it. It is only attainable once you let it be.
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I think we achieve happiness by finding random things to be happy about. No one can not be happy all the time but anyone can make the most of all the small moments throughout our days that bring joy. It is somewhat of a choice how much we chose to cherish these moments and feel that joy to its full extent. Self care if another thing I think allows us to be happier, because I think if you take care of your mind and body, and even your living space you have a larger capacity to be happy.
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Happiness can be determined state of bliss, and other days if can flood you without reason. Creating rituals around life helps you stay closer to it and in it. For some, we need to do specific things in our daily life…it can take all sorts of paths to get there depending on what type of person you are.
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You get happiness by doing things that you like activities or by finding a hobby or two that you enjoy doing.
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Maybe happiness is not mythical at all. Maybe it’s always here and we decide to see otherwise.
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I like this idea. Manifesting happiness always
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🙂
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yes!
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I believe happiness is attained by expecting and caring less. Live in the moment and be willing to look for your happiness.
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Agreed.
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when it comes to happiness, i feel like we can’t get it, i feel like happiness comes to us
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Interesting.
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When we stop trying to find it, it finds us when we least expect it?
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Hmmmm….
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To achieve happiness there are two simple steps, first find something you love and keep doing it, the second step is surrounding yourself with people you love.
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Yes!
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I think if I were to recommend tips on happiness to someone I would feel like the biggest hypocrite to walk this Earth. But if I were to recommend something to myself, I would say get out of my comfort zone, try something I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. Listen to more stories, music, and read. Getting to know myself more and more importantly, liking and loving myself! I think happiness comes and goes intermittently and is very spontaneous. But finding the medium I’m most comfortable with is the key.
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Very true!!
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To obtain a happy dimension/life/mind I would remind others that happiness isn’t measured through materialistic things because to me happiness is something that should be achieved from within. Happiness is a mindset. Happiness is a feeling. Self-acceptance is key because then nothing else in the world or nobody else in the world can rob me of my happiness. If I am having trouble finding happiness because it is normal we are human, then I search for it in things I like to do, things I like to eat, things I like to create so I can ground myself. My mantra is, “I don’t look good to feel good. I feel good to look good.”
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This reminds me of when people say money can’t buy happiness, in some aspects it is true, I know people who have all the money in the world, and yet their personal/ family life is crumbling.
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of course we are allowed to find happiness in objects but we can’t rely on that being the only source of happiness because it won’t ever work out.
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For me happiness is spending time in nature, catching a sick wave, seeing the people around me smile and laugh. Happiness is enjoying where i am in life and feeling whole heartedly content. Happines to me is living in the moment and doing whatever the f/ck brings brings a smile to my face and makes me feel weightless.
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Have to take care of self. Good for you!
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My personal steps to happiness:
Gratitude journal
Regular talks with the universe(isn’t it conspiring for us after all?) Specific asks too.
Exercise
Being outdoors/travel/being at the ocean
Tending to my creativity
Mindset: Living life not surviving life
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Love this!!!!!
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“Living life not surviving life” great words
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Thank you…I’m working on that one 🙂
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Happiness for me comes from a passion for something. In a sense, a love of something, whether that be a person, object, or activity. Happiness for me has been more difficult to come by in the pandemic, with no access to playing a card game I played just about every friday for about two years straight. My cat and my wife, as well as some comfort food, are some of the things I tie in to happiness.
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what kind of card game? Like poker?
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Magic the Gathering! Although poker would also be on the “table” should the pandemic leave.
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Nice!
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very true a passion in something can make these quarantine days a little bit more enjoyable!
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I think happiness is living in the present moment not worrying about the past or the future and doing whatever the hell you want to do.
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Happiness is what you make it. You can always change your perspective but you simply cannot control what you cannot control. Once you recognize this, it becomes easier to live in the present and find happiness even in situations of misfortune.
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I believe what makes everyone happy stems from different things in life they desire. I think happiness can come to those who achieve what they set out to achieve their life and are content with themselves. If I were to tell someone how to achieve happiness I would recommend them to believe in what they want to achieve in their life, and never let anyone get in the way of how you feel or what you do in this world.
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Is Lawson happy?
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I think she is determined to be so even though some days are difficult
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I agree..
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I think Lawson does her best to be happy when she can but like she said with all those battles people fight sometimes you’ll feel down even on the best of days, or even if it may look to an outsider on your life that you have everything that you need. No one can always be happy because we have to experience those lows In order to feel the great highs and happiness of life.
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I believe Lawson is Happy. Is it all the time? Of course not. But I believe she taught herself that she is more happy being “different” than “normal”.
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I think Lawson is happy since she always tends to have a good and positive mindset on everything, she sees the good in the bad
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yes. I think so but I also feel like she doesnt give herself enough credit.
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I find happiness at times where I am not feeling any stress at all and just enjoying the moment to the fullest. I don’t think happiness is something that you can chase and try to be in all the time. I think it comes and goes throughout various moments.
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I think craziness is one of the things that really make us who we are, people express their craziness differently, into different areas of life and at different levels. I also think that its something we have to handle ourselves as well, while some is good if you cannot control it that is also a dangerous path for both you and others.
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Lawson has created her own happines. She has created senerios that bring her joy and make her laugh. Yes she has a dark side but e all do, but she doesnt let it dictate her life. In the begining of her book she talked about how she was so depressed that she couldn’t imagine getting out of bed. She then flipped the narrative and has focused on the postive and what brings her joy. She does everything in her power to make herelf happy even if it is absolutley ridiculous
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I’ve always seen “crazy” and “craziness” as accusations…. Thoughts?
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I would say yes to that. They are also not clinical terms. Definitely describing words and meant to inflame the situation rather that state a truth…for the most part…not in Lawson’s when talking about herself. It almost gleeful in the way she steps into “her crazy.”
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FTP: Think less, live and write MORE.
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I think lawson tries give us this perspective that she is happy and there could be times when she truly is happy, but with those good days come those bad days.
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I also have consistently seen crazy as an accusation, potentially with the likes of a “Crazy ex” or just a “crazy person”. However, I think the work gets an unfair wrap from the world as a whole, as I think crazy is the only true way to live life. How boring would things be otherwise?
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Good question. Not sure I have an answer yet…
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Crazy is often more valuable that following pattern or being comfortable, or quiet.
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Craziness is a characteristic I feel everyone has but obviously there is different ways of expressing it or even using it and sometimes it can be a bad thing because you don’t have any control over it. Craziness is just another like emotion I guess you can say. Because certain things , persons, scenarios can cause you to feel a little craziness!
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Happiness is an intention, a pleasurable absence of suffering. Sometimes our minds become our worst enemies and convince us we are in pain and so we must suffer. If you have ever walked around courthouse square in downtown Santa Rosa, there is a light pillar with a quote from Luther Burbank that states, “The greatness happiness in the world is to make others happy”. I remember one being incredibly sad and it happened to be on my mom’s birthday. I walked down to the square and balled my eyes out on a bench. I looked up and saw that quote. And, I immediately reflected how irrelevant my thoughts were. They were destructive, self-serving, giving myself way too much importance. I realized I needed to get over myself right then and there! It was not fair to my mom, on her friggin birthday…?? I walked back home and decided to celebrate her life, literally my mom’s rotation around the sun and I felt immediately better and happy. I just kind of separated myself from myself and chose to be part of the bigger picture and it brought me moment of gratitude.
Random thought: I don’t know why but I suddenly thought about folks that serve terminally ill children in hospitals… Can you imagine how they must feel? With a great sense of PURPOSE. A valued mission on earth. ❤
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lawson’s perspective on craziness is owning your sh**T! to loving the good days and when days are challenging well, just love those harder.
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I agree. Accept it and somehow let it empower you.
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I feel like craziness is what you want it to be. Anything is crazy to the right person… or wrong person. But crazy isn’t bad, it just means that maybe that crazy doesn’t work with you and your personality. My possibly crazy, self described “goofy”, sense of humor may not be your style. Maybe you don’t like it, and don’t want to spend time near me. And that’s perfectly okay.
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Anything is crazy to the right person… or wrong person. Well said
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I personally think craziness refers to people who clearly have something wrong in the head, but will not admit to being crazy or want to change in any capacity despite others telling them that is what is best. Not everyone who struggles with mental health is crazy, because the second someone can admit there is a problem, they are no longer fully deceived by their brain. Crazy is actively working against yourself and thinking that everything is fine and continuing to do so in my opinion. That being said, society views a wider range of people as crazy than my definition. Some people want to change and fix themselves but can’t quickly or easily, and society views them as crazy for that. To me they still are not crazy, because they recognise an issue. To society just having a diagnosis makes you crazy in the eyes of a lot of people, even if you fight to keep everything under control and appear normal. For this reason I think we have a lot to learn from Lawson, because she embraces the label of crazy society has given her and refuses to let it define her or her capabilities and worth as a human.
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Great thought development here!
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There so many ways that someone could be crazy but when I think about craziness the first thing that pops into my head is being energetic or furiously happy I don’t know why but ii just imagine someone having the time of their life screaming running around.
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By far the best way to live
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I was always a very expressive person. Growing up I was called weird and crazy A LOT. People would even ask me if I was drunk or high pretty often. I was like 10 growing up in Bennett Valley… how? But maybe according to those people, crazy was something they might not understand, or possibly something that makes them uncomfortable. But I learned to love my “crazy” from a young age. Appreciating and continuing to express my individuality regardless of what someone may think. And that leads to a happier me anyways! Craziness=Happiness?
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YES!!!!!!!
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crazy has always had a bad stigma, by calling someone crazy youre trying get the attention off of you to someone else. calling someone crazy is a cop out i think.
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my idea of craziness is just being yourself
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Interesting, isn’t it??
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I think that when our society sees the tern crazy or craziness, It can be associated with “out of the norm”. If people are breaking form than either them or their choices could be considered crazy. When I think of the term crazy, I think of similar thoughts. I think of things that are opposing what I was expecting or what I’ve been taught to expect. This can also be seen when you don’t want to think something all the way through. For example if you make the decision, pack for the trip, and leave all within an hour, It could be considered crazy. We’ve been told that planning and measured actions is the way to live your life but I’ve found that if you break away from that mold, It can be the best choice you can make.
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Craziness: “Most random visibly fucked up person”. The label crazy carries little medical or scientific meaning. I think it denotes passionate or extreme senses of perception that involve an abnormal/strange process of reasoning.
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I agree…
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