Madmen Are Not Always in Asylums
Madmen Are Not Always in Asylums Sometimes I look at the world and ask myself: perhaps our definition of “madness” is wrong? For years, we have thought that a mad person is someone who talks to themselves in the street, behaves strangely, or is hospitalized in a psychiatric institution. But if we set that definition aside and look at politics, a strange question arises: Could some of the most dangerous madness in the world be taking place precisely behind political desks bearing national flags? Imagine this: a person is sitting behind a desk, wearing a suit and tie, giving a speech, smiling, and speaking in a completely serious tone about “the future of the nation.” Then, with a few signatures, a few orders, and a few decisions, they change the lives of millions of people, start a war, impose sanctions on a country, push an economy to the brink of collapse, displace millions, and sometimes bring the world within a few steps of a major catastrophe. Then they sit there calmly and say: “T...