Acute clinical insanity

Some of the most neurotic people I know go to therapy. Which is just to say, going to therapy doesn't stop you from being neurotic. I think if I were to go into therapy with that goal of no longer being neurotic, I would be disappointed. People swear by therapy. And that's great. I would never begrudge anybody their favorite techniques. To me personally, therapy sounds like another meeting, you know? It sounds like work. When I tell people about having two or three girlfriends, sometimes they say, that sounds like a lot of work. And it is! But you know what? It's precisely the kind of work I wish I could do all the time. No matter how you slice it, life is work. I think there's something to be said for doing the sort of work you want to do. Some people want to work in therapy, and that's great.

The sickest people I know go to doctors all the time. Which is just to say, going to doctors doesn't stop you from getting sick. For me personally, judiciously going to doctors has its place. But I figure, if I don't exercise and I eat terrible food, perhaps because I'm isolated and depressed, I'll have terrible health and no doctor will ever fix it. My answer is more along the lines of finding a sport I love to play and a salad I love to eat. That's where good health comes from. Just back to basics, regular ol' human stuff. I bike as my primary mode of transportation because I just fuckin' love biking, and I mow down on whatever fruit is in season because I just fuckin' love oranges or whatever.

Two groups of people like to tell me I should go to therapy. Ex girlfriends, and stressed out coworkers. They make it sound like therapy is good for everybody and everybody should do it. "You live in New York. Go to therapy." "Traditionally, you talk with your friends, but they can't be very objective and they have their own problems." "I go to therapy and it's great. You should too." "I think there's a lot you don't understand about yourself and therapy will help." Religious beliefs are, like, EVERYBODY should do X because that's the right thing to do. Going to therapy is, like, a progressive liberal secular religious belief, mainly held by folks who I'm a little worried about, because they seem a bit isolated and overworked. Now that I type that, I wonder if the next time I should answer with, "Do YOU have a friend you feel like you can tell anything to?"

Me personally, my philosophy is more along the lines of, maintain meaningful relationships, and take a few hours every now and then to just smoke a bowl and reflect. That's where mental health comes from. Just back to basics, regular ol' human stuff. I bro the fuck out with my friends every Wednesday because I just love those guys, and every week I take the time to chill out in my kitchen and ask myself big questions or just watch Trailer Park Boys because it makes me laugh.

Am I happy all the time? Of course not. But what's the meaning of life, to be happy all the time? Nah. I think it's more like, experiencing the richness of all the human emotions, good and bad. If you have friends to share it with and a sense of perspective / humor, you can deal with pretty much anything. Like Bob Ross said, every painting needs light and dark parts. The dark parts help you appreciate the light parts. I like to put it like this. Embrace the chaos.

Life is tricky and there's nothing wrong with paying for doctors, therapists, or prostitutes. But I also think there's nothing wrong with avoiding professionals for the most part and meeting your human needs with regular ol' humans.