About The Movie Defintion of Insanity
Post 502:
Oh the insanity. If you’ve ever watched a movie or read a book or article or seen a thing made by humans, this old phrase or something very close has probably been forced through your senses: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.”
It’s one of the most overused lines ever. Right up there with, “They’re right behind me, aren’t they?” and “I swear to God if you do a thing to her I’ll this and that” and “We’re not gonna make it”—you get what I’m saying.
Here’s the deal, going back to the insanity thing. That’s not the definition. Dictionary.com says (paraphrasing) “Derangement of the mind, unsoundness of mind as frees one from legal responsibility, psychosis, etc.”
They’ve got a boat load. And that’s the bush league dictionary. Don’t even make me pull out my big Webster’s. Don’t make me pull out my DSM-V. Ok. That sounded weird.
Point is, nothing in the definition about doing the same thing and results and all the rest.
I don’t know how these rogue definitions get started. I’m sure there’s a person out there who knows, but who cares about that guy.
Let’s be clear. There is some practicality to the movie version of insanity. If I hit myself in the hand with a hammer and it hurts, I’d have to be crazy not to expect a similar result on the next go-round.
But here’s what bothers me. There are things that you can do once or twice or thrice and the result blows. Then, maybe on the fourth try, you go to crush town. Everything falls into place. You were sweating yourself back on tries two and three, but not anymore. It’s all good—and best of all—totally sane. Noodle intact.
Example time. When I was learning the drums, I’d play the same beat over and over. Then I’d add a fill or a high hat lift here and there, then repeat it all over again. It was terrible. I must’ve been insane to think that I was going to get good at that groove.
Wrong. The only people that went insane were my parents and everyone in the neighborhood for having to hear me play the drums.
I’ve tried to teach people to play a beat on the drums or how to do this or that, and yes, it’s true, there are times when people simply aren’t going to get it. It ain’t in their bones or whatever. But it takes time to figure that out.
Of course, sometimes things are obvious. I’ve been doing leg lifts for two decades in the hopes of one day dunking a basketball, but things haven’t worked out so far. I’m expecting a different result tomorrow. Stop looking at me like that.
Okay. Do the thing. Do it again. Who knows what to expect. The movies call it insane. I call it faith. And at worst, you’re a little crazy. Nothing wrong with a little crazy once every while. Cheers and see you after.
