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Hi Mike,
Thanks for the info on DSM IV. I had heard of the DSM before, but I had forgotten what it was. The site you gave me was my first exposure to what is in it, although I had previously known that it was the diagnostic authority for mental health professionals. So, armed with that, let me move on to your request.
***How about keeping the nuttiness going?***
Okay. I'm game. From the way you write, Mike, I have a sneaking suspicion that you and I share a certain amount of doubt about the consistency, meaningfulness, and usefulness of current, not to mention past, approaches to what has been labeled as mental illness. I have little doubt that some people's brains don't work exactly right. But, I think that living in the world is sufficiently complex, coupled with the fact that there is so much about bodies, brains, and minds that is completely un-understood, that attempts such as the one made by the DSM to organize and make sense of people's disparate behaviors rank little if any above the sense made by astrologers and Tarot readers.
So nuttiness is in the mind of the observer. I think there is a large segment of society that would judge every word typed into this forum as "nuttiness". But, for some of us, there is something interesting in the nutty mix, and even if it is not important, it is still fun. So, yes indeed. Let's keep the nuttiness going.
***How about showing how the models from DSM IV would interact with your "Child of God" stuff and the newest mind -control or advertising technology?***
That's too much to ask. From what I saw in that website, there are hundreds of models of dysfunction identified and I am not about to go through their list and opine about possible alternative explanations for each one. But, I will give you some general ideas.
Basically, I think there is much more going on in this universe than anyone thinks. I think the extra stuff is either incomprehensible in principle, or it is completely hidden from us. So we end up with three kinds of people. Those who deny that there is anything extra (the scientists), those who claim to know all about the extra stuff (religionists, UFOlogists, New Agers, etc.), and those who suspect there is something else but claim to know nothing about it.
That third class can be further broken down into those who guess at what the extra stuff is like, and those who don't. I happen to fall into the group who guesses.
My guess is that what we call mental illness is a combination of three things: 1) broken or malfunctioning brains, 2) proclivities that produce behavior inconvenient to others, 3) some kind of interaction with some of that "extra stuff".
The example that always comes to my mind when I think about number 3) is the guy, I think Aurino identified him as Blind Tom, who was so "mentally ill" that he couldn't walk, talk, see, or do much of anything normal at all, but yet he could play the piano after hearing a piece only once. Now, you can classify all of his "mental illnesses" all you want according to the DSM, but I maintain that there is something "extra" going on there that science with their models of the universe simply cannot explain.
Now, to relate that to my 'Child of God stuff', I think the God concept is used as a catch all to cover people's ideas of whatever is involved in the "extra stuff". Science denies it's existence, religionists, Urantia buffs, etc. will adamantly tell you that they know exactly what it is and how it works. Those in the group that won't talk, won't talk. And those in my group sometimes guess at it.
My guess is that whatever is going on in that "extra stuff" there is something there like sentience. I expect that it is a vastly more complex superset so that our consciousness may only be a vague hint at a suggestion of a shadow of a dim projection of it. But nonetheless, I think it does something like thinking.
But I think it has one heck of a time communicating with us. I think probably for two reasons: our comprehension capability is so limited, and the extra stuff may be indifferent or pre-occupied. I think there are, and have been, lots of attempts, maybe including tablets of stone or gold, inspired writings, visions, readings, channels, ouija messages, crop circles, and who knows what else. All have been pretty miserable failures, although some have captured the imaginations and allegience of millions or even billions of people.
But back to the thread, I think that there is a possibility that Schizophrenia may be a garbled communication from that "extra stuff". So might be inspired music and poetry. I heard, or got the impression somehow, that Milton wrote his poetry by frantically recording (or having his daughter record) the poetry as it mysteriously came into his head from somewhere. I'd like science to seriously try to explain that kind of thing.
My wife wants to check her e-mails so I'd better stop. I mentioned that just in case anyone read this far.
Warm regards,
Paul |
