This parable is known as the “King and the Poisoned Well.” There are different variations, but many cultures retain some version:

“There was once a wise king who ruled over a vast kingdom. He was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom. Now in the heart of the city, there was a well with pure and crystalline waters from which the king and all the inhabitants drank. When all were asleep, three witches entered the city and poured seven drops of a strange liquid into the well. They said that henceforth all who drink this water shall become mad. The next day, all the people drank of the water, but not the king. And the people began to say, “The king is mad and has lost his reason. Look how strangely he behaves. We cannot be ruled by a madman, so he must be dethroned.” The king grew very fearful, for his subjects were preparing to rise against him. He had a difficult choice: risk being destroyed by his beloved subjects or drink from the poisoned well and become mad like them. So that evening, he ordered a golden goblet to be filled from the well, and he drank deeply. The next day, there was great rejoicing among the people, for their beloved king had finally regained his reason.”

In a society largely defined by its alienation from nature, its disassociation from feeling, its obsession with image, its fast pace, its use of the accruement of large sums of money and material possessions as a marker of success, its focus on doing, its endless proliferation of products, its unshakable faith in technology, and its blind relentless drive towards “progress,” it is quite accurate to say that such characteristics have become the norm, and yet that does that make such characteristics normal, healthy, or sane?

If what is crazy can become what is common than what is common becomes what is normal; if madness becomes what is normal than being sane becomes a kind of madness. When looking at society today, which one is it? With all that composes society today, are the characteristics normal and healthy or are they just common, familiar to the point where it’s too difficult to imagine it could have been or could be any other way? And when looking at ourselves; are we healthy and happy or are we lost in some kind of abnormality, too common to be recognized as such?

If indeed the characteristics I have mentioned are normal, it is fair to say that those individuals who value taking their time, who value being mindful, who value a healthy relationship with themselves and the environment, and who lack an over-riding fascination for the material and the unachievable are indeed crazy, and that is what it can feel like for those individuals who don’t feel they fit in, “Am I crazy? Am I normal?” Well yes and no.

Most people would say they are normal, but being normal and living within normality doesn’t necessarily mean one is not crazy. It may bring some sense of comfort to belong, and maybe that’s enough to make it worth it. But feeling normal with regards to who one is around and who one is in common with counts for very little when it comes to understanding who in society may be living a more full life, i.e. who is crazy and who is not. But then again, if the majority of people are mad does anything else really shine through? The “wise” king after all does decide to drink from the same well as everyone who is crazy. Perhaps he recognizes the futility of being sane. Perhaps politically speaking that is the correct implication from the standpoint of the “perfect ruler;” his job is to rule effectively and how can he do that when those he rules consider him to be crazy? For the rest of us, is such a choice necessary?

We all face similar options in respect to our families, the culture we are brought up in, the traditions of our countries, and the relationship we wish to have with the greater world. Are we willing and able to stand alone for the sake of a personal understanding with one’s self that gives all the recognition one needs? Can this be done without recourse to what is common and deemed normal? Do we have to be a little bit crazy just to survive in a “normal” society?