Not Crazy, Just Insane

I often wonder what it means when people refer to another's behavior as being "crazy"? If you ask them you will get a variety of responses ranging from doing risky behavior to following their dreams to hearing voices. Obviously there is no consensus on what constitutes crazy behavior. And, in my opinion, any time a word has such a vague meaning we should be hesitant to use.

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." While I don't think we need to start thinking of ourselves as crazy or insane, I do think it can help us when we recognize that we do things that might be a little crazy - or perhaps irrational is a better term.

I think of all the times I have thrown a tantrum in the hopes that I will make somebody listen to me and how rarely it works. I think of all the times I've procrastinated only to be miserably stressed out later. And the list of old mistakes can go on and on. Those mistakes would certainly qualify under Einstein's definition of insanity.

I like to admit that I'm a little insane. While I don't think calling myself crazy is helpful (because it is so vague) I know what I mean when I say I'm a little insane. This kind of joking self-deprecation keeps me humble and eases the discomfort I feel around my mistakes. And if I can laugh about it, then I can share about it and allow others the chance to encourage me to change.

I'm not crazy, just insane.