Mental Illness

WED., JUNE 9, 1982, 4:57 AM
FARM, STUDY

You read Kay’s thesis recently, and you were struck, o son, with the similarities in descriptions of the mentally ill and your own knowledge of what We do together. Put another way, your affirmations about hearing My “voice” through your fingers and this special pen would be quite acceptable as evidence of schizophrenia. Yet you would claim not only a saneness but the possession of a “special gift” that gives you knowledge beyond that generated through the rational mind. What do I have to say about spiritual maturity and mental illness? Well, I certainly have a full “teachings’ worth”, so hear Me.

You have extolled a truth when you have said, in your International Health Class, that mental health and mental illness are, to some extent, culturally defined. “To some extent”… does that mean there is some universality? Yes, when a person evidences anger, viciousness, and other strong negative emotions which are directed against others, acted out as killing and maiming, this is universally judged to be illness. Conversely, the universal description of mental health always includes an honest humility that is willing and able to consider the needs and desires of others before those of self.

Let’s get down to cases. If what you heard from Me and wrote down urged you to think of yourself first, to take advantage of the weaknesses of others, to regard some others as inferior, and/or to consider yourself as being part of a special, elite, deserving group, then I would call this evidence of mental illness. By their fruits you shall know them… Hearing “voices” and communications from disembodied spirits is one of your cultural definitions of mental illness, but it should not be applied universally, for there simply is a reality to these kinds of communication that goes beyond that of human speech and physical hearing. You ARE hearing Me now (though your mind is somewhat distracted and too interested in the idea to be an efficient channel… you are taking overlong in this writing process this morning… but you got up early, so you have plenty of time… My digression).

Just as you hear some variety of bird sounds and do not know how to identify these with specific birds, so human minds can receive communications and not know from whence they come. Some in your culture resist My communications and even the notion that there is an I who tries to communicate. By your cultural definition they are quite sane, and their protestations against a communication such as this are considered intelligent and normal. Such folks are ill to the extent that they deprive themselves of some value by limiting reality.