I was watching the news last night and they showed this segment from Japan. There was a little girl having her photo taken by her mother at Shibuya Crossing and some woman, wearing a Covid-style mask, walks up behind the little girl, and with crazed anger in her eyes, she elbows the little girl and knocks her down to the ground and keeps on walking. How fucked up is that?
 
One of my number one rules in life is, “Leave the kids alone!”
 
Now, for anyone who has been there, or has watch pieces about the location, everybody takes photos at Shibuya Crossing. I even did a Zen Film there kinda recently, Crossing Shibuya Crossing. But, for whatever self-distorted reason, this lady didn’t like what was taking place and wanted to lash out. Again, who does that to a little kid?  
 
I think back to a time when something similar happened to me. My lady and I were walking down onto the Santa Monica Pier. It was in the later afternoon, on a warm Spring day. There was a lot of people walking. But, for whatever reason, this guy walking the opposite direction, up and off the pier, decides to focus on me and throw a shoulder into me. You know, shoulder to shoulder. My first thought was, “Are you kidding me!” My second thought was, “I should kick his ass!” But, that’s the thing about knowing that you can kick someone’s ass, you don’t have to do it.
 
The thing is, in his eyes, I could see the same thing that I saw in the lady’s eyes who went after that little kid. This weird, distorted anger based in some reality that they are living that is alien from the reality of everyone else.
 
If you think about it, there are a lot of variations to normality. I mean, look around you, maybe even look at yourself, are you normal?
 
For many, they live in a state of the accepted norm. They live their life, they do what they do, and by studying them, at least from the outside, they are what may be considered, “Normal.”  But, then there are those who exist somewhere off to the side of that definition. Maybe it is based in the small things that they do or maybe it is based in much larger actions. But, however it comes down the pike, they are seen to be, (if I can use a term that may be considered at bit derogatory, but it is very descriptive), “Crazy.” 
 
Have you ever encountered someone like that? Are you someone like that?
 
Now, this is where the whole concept of being different or being cursed with mental illness comes into play. There are some forms of this, that have been deemed to demand medication. Those are generally the very exaggerated states. But, then there are those who walk among us, who they seem to function within the realms of (at least) the marginally acceptable. Yet, there is something just not quite right with them.
 
I mean, some asshole shoulder bumping me is just a joke in my mind. “What a loser!” But, had someone knowingly done that to my kid, like what happened in Tokyo, they would have suffered the consequences. And, is the place where all of this kind of stuff jumps off and takes on a whole different meaning. You can be as crazy as you want, as long as your crazy effects no one else. But, the moment what you do does affect someone else, there will be consequences. If not now, sometime in the future.
 
You know, we all look to medical standards and stuff like that when we encounter people who are a bit off. But, the thing is, the people who do these negative things, do them based upon their own altered psychology. They have a reason for doing what they do. But, if that reason is off-center, then what? What does it do to all of those they affect by the doing what they do?  And, this is where all of the excuses of mental illness come into play. I mean, think how many lives have been fucked up and how many people have been sent down a dark road instigated by someone who is not mentally sound.

Years back, in this blog, I would speak about how I had this neighbor who claimed to be some sort of a spiritual something and the conduit for this particular archangel. He was selling his wares wherever he could. But, when he wasn’t blasting his bullshit out the windows, he would go into some self-induced rage and, while stomping on the floor, he would scream, “Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me and mine,” over and over and over again. The dude was deranged! And, in his actions he messed up the life of all of his neighbors, including me. I had to live next to him for two and a half years before I finally moved. I’m still suffering from the effects of his life derailing actions. Thus, mental illness, “Crazy,” is never an excuse. But, it can hurt the life of many people.
 
Just like if I would have decided to kick the ass of that guy who shoulder bumped me. That probably would have gotten me arrested. Arrested, for something that the other guy instigated.
 
So, here’s the thing, crazy people are all over the place. Many of them are hiding in there seeming normality. I can say, “Steer clear of them.” But, like the poor little girl getting her photo taken at Shibuya Crossing, they may come at you out of nowhere. And, who knows how that crazed lady’s action will affect the overall life of that young girl?  
 
Here we are. We live in this reality. For those of us who care enough to care, we try to do good things, hurt no one, help people whenever we can, and make this life space as good as it can be. Then, there are those who are a little crazy. We can’t control them or their actions. All we can do is remain as positive and as pure as is possible and not let them control how we react.
 
Be good. Hurt no one EVER. That’s all I can say. And, if you do meet crazy, try to not let it overtake your life. Be more than that person who is less.