Imaginary Pizza Part-I

Sanity is not a well-defined term. It is almost synonymous with normalcy. Almost. But then who is normal? That isn’t very clear either. Usually it is accepted that EVERYONE is normal, unless determined otherwise. Those who aren’t, are called “abnormal” by the “glass-is-half-empty-type-pessimists”, and “special” by “happy-go-lucky-optimists”. I think we all know majority is always never right. And that is so because the bulk of our population can never be right. All intellectuals, intelligentsia, educated elite, political masterminds, academics and many more DO NOT comprise “the normal lot”, since “EVERYONE” is sane and normal but is not an intellectual etc. So I’m led to believe that all these categories are NOT synonymous with normal, or sane. Therefore that would imply that if I’m not “sane” and “normal” like many of the other people mentioned above, then I (or they) would have to be INSANE, or JUST NOT NORMAL.

Moving on, actions, habits and patterns of behaviour which are common of the general lot - and found in all “sane” people - are called normal. So we can conclude that those actions, sayings and ideas which are not generally common among ALL people, would have to be “abnormal”, and since they cannot be labelled ‘sane’, all these actions would be “insane”. With the same explanation (mentioned above) under consideration, we move on to consider “specialities”. As the word reflects itself, specialities are not supposed to be normal (remember that the word ‘special’ is used by many as ‘abnormal’). Therefore, my – or anyone’s – specialities are abnormal anomalies. If not, then it is not a speciality, it would just be a common, ‘normal’ thing. And so, the more specialities I have, the more abnormal or insane I would be. It is for this very reason that I often take pride in calling myself “insane”, or at least appreciate others doing so, since they are in effect crediting my specialities. This has often bewildered others to quite an extent. Just yesterday, a friend of mine said, *“Amaar you’re a normal person ‘online’, but you’re absolutely ‘insane’ otherwise”. For an entire day, I failed to decide which part of this statement was meant to serve as an insult, and which as a compliment. For I couldn’t understand if I was really not being myself while “online” or if the entire world had in a moment adopted my specialities (my insanities) and turned them into normal behaviour – now, that would have meant my loosing the “special” traits that define my personality and dissolving into the ‘normal’ crowd. Or maybe, I was just being credited that my abnormal insanities (specialities) are far more wondrous when I display them in person. Either way, I indefinitely feel proud to be abnormal and insane and truly consider – as I should – someone calling me normal and sane as hoarding an insult out rightly, by robbing me of my distinctive personal specialities (id est. insanities). I hope I never loose my insanity and forever cherish it as I do still.

*(The intellectually provocative comments mentioned above were passed by my friend Capt. Taji.)

(Hopefully, a sequel will be duely out, explaining what an imaginary pizza has to do with insanity.)

-Rana Amaar Faaruq,
14th June 2005, Islamabad.