What Does Crazy Look Like?

You are crazy, or so I have been told.  People speak outright to me I’m crazy, or I hear them express my actions in reference to themselves. I could never do that, or I don’t know how you do that.

My crazy has looked like this:

having a large family

traveling exorbitant distances to visit a group of people for a short time

riding a long-distance

Context matters, and the most significant factor in our crazy is other people. Because all crazy is who we are when faced with choices about those people and how we see ourselves. In other words, crazy is more about behavior contagion than individual choice.

Eric Hoffer says,

“When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”

Eric Hoffer

See, what looks crazy to others may not look crazy because you hang out with similar crazy folks. It may be that the people you surround yourself with do the same sort of crazy because as much as we like to think we are individuals, we are shaped by those with whom we surround ourselves.

There is an actual network effect going on in our lives. So let’s review some of the crazy things in my life.

Having a large family – Gary and I certainly made our choices one at a time; however, we were surrounded by more families having more children than people choosing not. We never saw ourselves as the outliers. We thought pretty intentionally about our family choices, especially since I had two cancers before the last three children were born. 

Traveling an exorbitant distance to visit a group of people I care about for a short time- I have been a part of two groups that travel to see dear friends: The Navy and the Institute for Cultural Communicators. Both organizations create community, and community is what will shape us. When I started on this journey to train my students to use their voices, we would travel to events to be with like-minded students. I believe in sharing experiences with my students, and I saw that same type of crazy in other families who would travel for an opportunity to learn in a community. 

Riding a long-distance – What began as a simple email challenge to join USNA classmates on a reunion bike ride has morphed into a riding habit. I knew that my USNA group would disperse after the initial ride, and to continue, I needed to join a local group. I knew I wouldn’t attempt longer bike rides unless I was entering a circle that rode longer than I currently could. 

So really, is this crazy? I wonder. 

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.” says movie producer and creative Tim Burton.

You do crazy because you do it with some remarkable people you love. It may look crazy to someone else, but to you, it seems obvious. Maybe hard but clear. 

If you feel the need for crazy, perhaps hanging out with some like-minded crazy is in order. Let’s celebrate more of the crazy that changes us and others.