Madness!

A sudden reaction and an insane affection surfaces. Then, comes the thrill of being bold, of doing something that opposes your mind. The fear of rejection shortly follows and a slightly regretful mood. Maybe you've passed your limits and it's time to hit the ground again. But, what if you didn't try hard enough and that's why you always fail?

"I should have been crazier" *

Do we really understand failure?! Failing isn't being unsuccessful of getting what you desire. Failure is having regrets.

What is it that stops us from saying and doing what's really on our minds? Then, moving on to enjoy our lives without regrets.

"It's their loss anyway!"

We always tend to pick up negative bits and pieces of our experiences - important or not- that hold us back from growing our souls and expanding our minds.

We care too much about what people think of us and the rules society imposes. We're afraid to be different, to stand out, to be insane! Because their sanity is the norm! The following book talks exactly about that...

*Veronika Decides to Die is a novel by Paulo Coelho whose books and stories have always made a change in their readers’ mindset and way of living. It tells the story of 24 year old Veronika, who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself because she lost her sense of purpose and forgot how it is to feel real happiness. This book is partly based on Coelho's experience in various mental institutions. It is based around the subject of “madness”. The idea of the message is that "collective madness is called sanity".

Many of you may have read the novel, but how many of you have really thought about the message that it offers behind its cover?  Part of the novel’s aim is to question our priorities in life and the way we carry everything out. It holds a challenge for us to be bold, stand out and be different or “crazy”. The story holds a whole new different definition of “madness”, one that is maybe different to the people around you, but very familiar within you.  It’s not the madness that harms; it’s rather the one that expands our minds to higher levels of understanding and happiness.

The story teaches us not to be afraid of being different, one of a kind, to grasp the true meaning of our lives to reach joy and do what we want rather than what we only need. It taps into the idea that not just because everyone around us thinks something is unusual or crazy, means that it is wrong or undoable.

When I first read the book, I completely felt related to it. I’ve always had a positive definition for madness. I always like to think and do anything in my life in a different “crazier” way and view everything from another angle. In doing so, I’ve seen how little things can bring joy to my life instead of fixating on routine and the “typical” way everyone around accepts. I proudly call myself mad! Now think, what is madness to you?