WHEN THE MIND SNAPS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE

November 18, 2015

I heard a somewhat funny yet pitiful story this morning.  One pedicab driver in our barangay, whom a friend described as a bit slow back in elementary school, once attended a fiesta celebration in the next town.  After probably one drink too many, he started walking straight, and a week after was found by a barangay official mindlessly wandering six towns north, all grimy and greasy and clearly unhinged.  When interviewed, he described walking through rice fields, crossing bridges, streams and a wide river, eating whatever he could lay his hands on in the paddies (even roaches, grasshoppers and rats) and sometimes drinking muddy water when the need arises.  Good thing the barangay official accompanied him and returned him home.

Why do some people suddenly lose it?  For many who have undergone such situation, not only is their consciousness or sanity gone, but also oftentimes their health, their belongings, their honour, their lives.  And yet, one could not solely blame it on alcohol or drugs, for there are also some who have broken down due to stress, severe depression and anxiety.

The human mind is really a very mysterious and powerful thing.  When it is subjected to severe stress and trauma, it tries to protect itself through forgetfulness, or worse, amnesia.  When problems are too heavy to bear, many people suddenly find themselves losing it.  It is terribly scary to suddenly find the world is crumbling down around you, but it is more horrible to have your mind snap when you’re in the middle of some of the most significant events in your life.

That is why the prophets, the apostles, the pastors, secular teachers, philosophers and psychiatrists recommend that we all take our time living our lives.  Problems will always be there, because it is part of our humanity.  But we shouldn’t let them sink us down into the depths of despair.  As long as there is tomorrow, we will always have hope.  There is no need to shoulder alone all the burdens and the hurts the tragedies of life shower upon us because that is what family and friends are for.

The pedicab driver I was talking about in the first paragraph, is still a pedicab driver now, sometimes picking up passengers and sometimes just ignoring a whole bunch of them even if he doesn’t have any passenger, and just traverses the roads cycling back and forth from morning till dusk.  But when people realize who he is, they just understand that he is not being choosy, but that his mind has once again taken a vacation.

An article from the Harvard Divinity Bulletin this past season states that psychiatrists are increasingly looking at patterns and systems of belief to help people cope with mental and psychological problems.  They observed that a strong and active belief system, which oftentimes exposes a person in community with others with whom they share even just the bare basics of faith and principles, is greatly instrumental in keeping people sane and happy.

As a Christian, that is one more point up for GOD and faith.  As a global citizen, that is one more cheer for those of us who believe that life is not all materiality, but in its very essence lie our spiritual being that constantly seeks to connect with others, which determines the salvation of our souls and our sanity.