A Tit for a Tat (77)
Tit: I think he suffers from some mental disorder.
Tat: Which one?
Tit: It doesn’t matter.
Tat: What do you mean?
Tit: Can you imagine the days when disorders like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD… weren’t well researched?
Tat: Yes, but what are you trying to say?
Tit: I think it’s unfair to just classify him as weird. I don’t know how he is unwell, or whether he or even doctors might know, but he seems so to me. Just because we can’t pinpoint his problem doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one.
Tat: The same would apply to us!
Tit: Yes, others might see us to be unwell in some way too.
Tat: Whether we are diagnosed with mental disorders or not, as long as we suffer needlessly from self-chosen attachment, aversion and delusion, we are all unwell. We don’t need the label of a disorder to have one!
Notes: I think the song ‘Unwell’ is an anthem of empathy for all with mental disorders. The lyrics are as below.
Unwell (Matchbox Twenty)
All day
Staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night
Hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something
Hold on
I’m feeling like I’m headed for a breakdown
And I don’t know why
[Chorus] I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell
I know, right now you can’t tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you’ll see
A different side of me
I’m not crazy, I’m just a little impaired
I know, right now you don’t care
But soon enough you’re gonna think of me
And how I used to be
Me
Talking to myself in public
Dodging glances on the train
I know
I know they’ve all been talking ’bout me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong with me
Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow I’ve lost my mind [Chorus]
I been talking in my sleep
Pretty soon they’ll come to get me
Yeah, they’re taking me away [Chorus]
And how I used to be
Hey, how I used to be
How I used to be, yeah
Well I’m just a little unwell
How I used to be
How I used to be
Next aT4aT: https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/12/sooner-or-later
Previous aT4aT: https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/12/this-that
Related Article:
We are Abnormal
https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/06/we-are-abnormal
[ad#unwell]
This is an interesting song.
There can be several interpretations for this song but unless we speak with the songwriter, we will probably never know the exact intended interpretation.
Nevertheless, we can see that on the surface level, it seems that the song reflects the sentiments of someone who is not mentally sound (further reinforced by the symptom that mentally unsound people are often unsure of this themselves). But what is the exact definition of “mentally unsound”? This is a question that we do not really examine, or put in the effort to examine. I have read in an article that most people in the world are not completely mentally sound, since most of us suffer from mental stress of some sorts. In this case, this individual is unlike many stressed individuals in this world. But he is much smarter, as he knows that he is not crazy but a little unwell. And he knows others can’t tell. Muttering to oneself is a commonly acknowledged and recognised symptom of mental unsoundness, but aren’t there individuals who are mentally sound but stressed by life doing that as well?
Looking at the song lyrics at a deeper level, [1]people who live solitary lives or [2] those who are spiritually awakened might relate well to this song. For the first group of individuals, they are more at peace with solitary activities than what society or conventional media promotes: excessive social activities, high level of consumerism and attractions to forms. As for the second group of individuals, their awakened state of spirituality will enable them to be wary of the ways of the worlds. While the two groups are distinct initially, it’s not impossible to think of the possibility that they will merge over time.
While it’s true that we need to relate to other people to have filfulling and happy lives, our contemporary lives filled with science and technology are pulling people and lives apart, since personal communication is becoming less common. And this song reflects this phenomenon very well. (In fact, I feel that the song is reflective of estranged individuals in contemporary society.)
Humans, in their efforts to bind everyone together through the use of science and technology, have failed badly in their endeavours because all these endeavours have been achieved at the expense of weakened or weakening spirituality.
Unless sprituality can be upheld in the near future, this song might serve to echo the sentiments of many in the years to come.
Re: ‘But what is the exact definition of “mentally unsoundâ€?’
Reply: ‘… as long as we suffer needlessly from self-chosen attachment, aversion and delusion, we are all unwell.’ The Buddha would agree with this too i would think! Only when we are fully enlightened are we fully sound.
Re: ‘In this case, this individual is unlike many stressed individuals in this world. But he is much smarter, as he knows that he is not crazy but a little unwell. And he knows others can’t tell.’
Reply: The very unwell might think they are just a little unwell, or not even unwell at all. A case of the severely deluded not knowing the depths of their delusion.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unwell :
The song is about people who claim to not be crazy even though they’re suffering from various occurrences that could lead them to be labeled as such. Rob Thomas (the lead singer) states on the live DVD Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty that he wrote the song to be a metaphor for humanity in general, a song for people who are “f*cked up and feel alone like that. We all feel a little f*cked up sometimes… you’re not alone.”
(&)