While that certainly sounds nice, illness does exist. Odds are it will never be something the world needs more of. The stages of progression of physical and mental illness can be subtle and undetectable, without any outward observable symptoms. Yet, in a way, symptomatic understanding is a superficial "band aid" method of addressing the problem. By learning the environmental, social, and cultural factors that create unhealthy mindsets, irreversible mental illnesses can be "nipped in the bud."
So, while I agree and have seen first-hand that there are beneficial aspects to states of mind which are categorized as psychopathological, and that the line between spiritual and creative extra-ordinariness and mental illness is both thin and blurry, I am careful to acknowledge that there will always remain others whose chronic pathology inhibits their ability to function, socially or otherwise. But social dysfunction should not imply social marginalization - lets bring crazy Uncle Ron to Thanksgiving dinner again! He's lonely up in that big cold asylum.
So, while I agree and have seen first-hand that there are beneficial aspects to states of mind which are categorized as psychopathological, and that the line between spiritual and creative extra-ordinariness and mental illness is both thin and blurry, I am careful to acknowledge that there will always remain others whose chronic pathology inhibits their ability to function, socially or otherwise. But social dysfunction should not imply social marginalization - lets bring crazy Uncle Ron to Thanksgiving dinner again! He's lonely up in that big cold asylum.
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