What Is Insanity?

A deep dive into the patterns we repeat, the cycles we can’t break, and the definition of insanity in our personal lives and society.

Albert Einstein once remarked, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”, but in the context of life’s relentless pursuits, it might just be a synonym for perseverance. We’ve all heard the adage: there are only seven plot points of life. But aren’t they retold, reshaped, and reimagined with every generation? Every individual?

Hasn’t the same dream, the same goal, the same story been chased after by countless souls before us? If you look to the skies, sometimes you might see clouds forming the shape of a dragon, a castle, or the face of a loved one. But isn’t that just our mind trying to find patterns, making sense of the random? We cherry-pick data, bending it to fit our narrative, just as writers bend words to shape their tales. Colonel Sanders faced rejection after rejection before his chicken recipe was accepted; countless authors have had their manuscripts tossed aside before finally getting a nod of approval. Rejection, it seems, is a rite of passage for those determined to leave a mark.

So, should one bow down after a certain number of rejections? I once walked across the country, not once, not twice, but three times, with the wind against my face, hoping, praying to reunite my family. Hoping to spotlight the plight of countless others torn apart by reasons they can’t control, like stringent immigration laws and unforeseen life tragedies. Maybe, just maybe, that makes me insane. But isn’t there a touch of madness in all who hope against hope? In those who yearn for life’s complexities to unravel into simpler threads?

Every endeavor feels Herculean when there’s a constant uphill battle, especially when financial constraints become the monstrous boulders. My books, they’re not just words on pages; they’re dreams of stability, of leaving a legacy. Yet, when the first one struggles to soar, how can I hope for the others to even take off?

Am I insane for trying, for continuing to strive amidst the noisy chorus of ‘no’s’? Maybe. But if insanity is to keep trying in the face of adversity, in the hope of that one ‘yes’ that can change everything, then let me be mad. For in this madness, there’s a glimmer of hope, a fire of determination, and perhaps, just maybe, the prelude to a story worth telling.