by Dr. David Sanders
Once an astrologer-king saw in the stars that anyone who would eat of the coming year’s harvest would go mad. He called in his trusted advisor to ask for his counsel. “Sire,” replied the advisor, “you and I shall eat only last year’s harvest, which is untainted. We shall remain sane.” But the king replied, “I do not accept your proposal. How can we separate ourselves from our people? To remain the only sane people among a nation of madmen – they will think we are the ones who are mad. Instead, you and I shall eat of the tainted grain, and shall enter into madness with our people.” The king thought for a moment, then added, “We must, however, at least recognize our malady. Therefore, you and I shall mark each other’s foreheads with a sign. And every time we look at one another, we shall remember that we are mad.”
When I read this parable in my youth it was difficult to relate to what Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the master storyteller, meant to convey. While there was turmoil in the world, I was not living in a world that I considered mad. That has changed. I enter this story in a different way today, very much feeling that I need a strategy on how to deal with a world that has gone mad.
Rebbe Nachman’s unexpected advice is perplexing. Is he suggesting that we succumb to the madness, or in modern terminology, drink the Kool Aid, and somehow rely on an agreed upon sign which reminds us that we have accepted a distorted reality? And why did the King reject the sound advice of his trusted counselor? If everyone is indeed mad, does it not make the most sense to stay sane and not rely on some sign to insure a check and balance to madness?
Rebbe Nachman lived in an era of kings and queens. If a monarch was “mad” that would define the country or if he was the only one that wasn’t mad that would define the country. A monarch’s influence and power was all encompassing. We live with the awareness that in a democracy not everyone will go “mad”, and critique and dissent is possible. For some that presents some optimism.
I want to take Rebbe Nachman’s advice in a different direction. What if he is not directing us to be mad as much as entreating us to put up with the madness. My guess is that Rebbe Nachman was imagining that the madness which infected the people would end and therefore, the King and his advisor were agreeing to be in a temporary state of madness. Nothing lasts forever, even madness. Seeing it and recognizing it as such helps to rebalance and affirm what sanity is.
What is there to be done during the madness? Call it out. Resist. Check in with your trusted advisor. And if you sit back and watch it take its course to see what proceeds. Even madness may produce some positive results. All the while, remain steadfast to what you consider sanity. If what is occurring is madness it will show itself to be just that. The planting season will come around again and a new harvest.
3 Comments
Elizabeth Wilde · November 27, 2024 at 5:12 pm
Two months ago today Hurricane Helene destroyed my city of Asheville. It has been named a “geologic event’ because rivers around me changed course, sides of mountains disappeared in landslides, and millions of acres of forests are gone. Sirens and helicopters for weeks. I was given blankets, hot food and water by the Army and National Guard, and lived in a motel for a while. I listened to the election results on my phone once I got internet access. That felt like the nail in the coffin. It has seemed like the end of the world.
I have found ritual in the chaos helps me connect with “normal” or sanity, if you will. Knowing that nothing is permanent, and in the present moment I am free. Yes, a new season will return. Thanks, David.
Valerie · November 28, 2024 at 3:06 am
While I didn’t know this parable, I was asking myself and talking with some friends about the same questions. Throw in the towel? Let the world burn with skepticism within faith that the world would right itself – Phoenix rising from the ashes? Wonder if the “others” were the sane ones and I was the “mad” one? Stockholm syndrome much? Am I in a coma having a never-ending nightmare? Two days after mourning the election results, I took a big breath and let out a big sigh with sadness and resignation. This is out of my hands. The only thing I can control is me – on a good day when I remember. For today, I will keep breathing and choose to live as best I can on any given day during any given moment. And, being human, give and receive grace and forgiveness both to and for me, as well as towards others when I am not able to control my thoughts, behaviors, or speech well. A friend once told me,”Val, don’t waste time worrying about the earth and all the bad things people do to it and each other. Mother Earth will take care of herself. When she’s sick and tired of us, she’ll kick us off. People are just blips in time on this planet.” I just realized when I ask G-d (the power(s) that bei), for strength, oftentimes I remember this. It gives me some sense of sanity and peace.
Judith Brodie · November 28, 2024 at 9:59 am
I am holding on to these words: “The planting season will come around again and a new harvest.” Thank you David