Is mankind responsible for his own madness?

When I read Michel Foucault’s Madness and Civilization it sparked an interest in the concept of madness and why people become mad. I was especially interested in what God had to say about it. In the 17^th and 18^th century people who were labeled as mad were destined, or we could say condemned, to an eternal journey on a ship that never touched land. These poor soul’s feet never touched dry soil again. It became known as the Ship of Fools.

What is madness anyway? According to the dictionary madness is synonymous with wickedness, folly, and foolishness. Foucault suggests everyone is mad. Could his assumption be correct? As a student of the Bible I have always been interested in human nature and why we behave in the ways we do. I’ve always wondered "Why man’s inhumanity to man?" The way we behave sometimes leads me to believe we are all a little crazy.

Solomon explains the human condition in Ecclesiastes: "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead."(9:3 NIV used unless otherwise stated). Is there no hope? Are we all then, destined for the Ship of Fools? Or is there a way to keep our feet solidly on the ground?

According to Foucault, "Men are so necessarily mad, that not to be mad would amount to another form of madness." Does anyone possess a sound mind? How would we be able to recognize if one was of a sound mind or is everyone mad? Who has the authority to make this judgment? Who decides? {Hebrews 12: 23}

Let’s compare the difference.

The dictionary definition for a sound mind is as follows: free from defect damage or decay. Normal and healthy, as a sound body and mind, based on valid reasoning; sensible, morally strong, honest, loyal etc. In the Greek translation a sound mind means moderation or self control. This means to discipline oneself. We have to admit that this seems to be the exception, not the rule.

In contrast, someone who is mad is defined as mentally ill, insane, frantic, mad with fear, foolish and rash, unwise, displaying great folly, great anger. As one example of impaired reasoning and ungovernable behavior, and there are hundreds, is when I think of the untold thousands of abusive homes where women and children are being battered and abused by men who are thought to be intelligent, successful, and/or professional men, I question their ability to control themselves and the soundness of their minds. Society does not seem to label them mad. We know that most of these men are intelligent by human standards. So why are abusers not considered mad? The only answer is—those making the judgment calls are also mad. I think you will agree when you listen to the nightly news that everyone, from the most humble to the highest positions in business, religion or industry are afflicted with differing degrees of madness.

Foucault asserts that: "self attachment is the first sign of madness, but it is because man is attached to himself that he accepts error as truth, lies as reality, violence and ugliness as beauty and justice (36). He seems to have pinpointed the problem of why one becomes mad in the first place: Individualism, self- importance, self-love. God through the voice of Isaiah warns Israel concerning the same subject: "You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, I am, and there is none besides me" (47:10, 11).

Foucault goes on to say that "In this delusive attachment to himself, man generates his madness like a mirage" (27). Man’s perception of himself is simply a delusion. According to Deuteronomy 28:28 we are informed there are blessings for obeying God…He gives instructions on how to receive these blessings. Likewise, curses for disobedience, "The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind." When we are not following God’s commandments we will become like animals or lunatics. In other words, we will not have a sound mind.

We are familiar with the story of Nebachadnezzar, a great king who did not acknowledge God. His affliction of madness was a result of his arrogance, his self-love, his self-aggrandizement. Does it not seem then, a normal progression that as we have all grown in this way of self-centeredness, that we too, today, are afflicted with the same condition of madness by our Creator. Jesus Christ instructs us that we cannot obey two masters—if we are not spiritually in tune to God we are all suffering from the affliction of madness. It is evident that if everyone is on board the Ship of Fools how can any person recognize or be aware of his or her own condition.

To further understand the character of those who are in this state of mind it would be beneficial to look at some examples in the Bible. There are descriptions of wild-like men in the Old Testament—Abraham’s first son Ishmael,—"He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (Genesis 16:12). Compare with Esau who was also a bestial and hairy man. He was controlled by his appetite—he gave up his birthright for a bowl of soup. He was rebellious, he married against his parents wishes and he lived by the sword. There was an unmistakable commonality between these two men. Although God made Ishmael and Esau’s descendants’ great nations, they continued to be warlike; whereas, Esau’s brother Jacob, a peaceable man, was to be greatly blessed by God as long as his seed obeyed God. It seems, like the nations of Esau and Ishmael, and even Jacob’s descendants (as they have forgotten God) are predestined to live out their lives in a state of madness or folly. As we know, it is only through the Spirit of God that any human being can truly have a sound mind.

"There the LORD will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder. No one living in Zion will say, "I am ill"; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven" (Isaiah 33:21-24). God’s promise in the future is that everyone will be healed; no one will have to wander aimlessly, tossed to and fro like drunken men and carried about with every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) on this Ship of Fools.

We are instructed by Timothy: "Wherefore I put you in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (II Timothy1:7 King James Version). We, who have been given the privilege of being called of God need not be destined to the Ship of Fools, but may keep our "feet on level ground"( Psalm 26:12), choosing life and one of God’s greatest gifts—a sound mind !