It's commonly assumed that madness means losing one's reason — the coherence of thought, logic, the ability to reason clearly.
In reality, the opposite is often true.
Don’t believe me? Talk to a schizophrenic.
He will describe a flawless system where every element fits perfectly and every cause-and-effect relationship seems rock solid.
Yet something inside you will begin to whisper, “Hmm… something isn’t right.” The impression that there's a crack in the foundation — but it's buried deep.
Take this: it doesn't matter how skilled the doctor is, how powerful the latest drugs are, or how sophisticated the equipment — if the patient has no will to live.
Or the world's greatest dog trainer can use every trick in the book — and it will all amount to nothing — if a Chihuahua was chosen to herd the flock instead of an Alabai.
Likewise, reconciling partners or spouses is impossible if their conflict has already reached the ninth stage on Friedrich Glasl's scale: "Together into the abyss."
There is always something unique that makes everything else possible.
The cornerstone — the sacred stone that in ancient times was laid first in the foundation of a building. The point of reference. The origin of coordinates.
It is the point where Reality and human action meet. Get this wrong, and the effort, the blueprints, the materials, and the number of floors become meaningless.
After all, the fundamental rule of architecture is that a building must fit its context, not the other way around. Think of an expensive, stylish house that sticks out in a city like a bone in your throat.
Local beauty, cut off from its surroundings, becomes ugliness.
In 1908, G. K. Chesterton wrote:
“The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”
Do you want to preserve your sanity?
Learn to value everything your mind is quick to dismiss.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
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