Henry was 20 years old and had been committed, against his will, to the locked psychiatric hospital. Within quick order, he was hibernating in his bed all day: “I’m sick and chilled and need more blankets”, he implored.
It turned out that Henry was planning a getaway. First, he had somehow figured out that he could take apart the window in his room. Next, he convinced a couple other patients to create a chaotic scene at the other end of the hallway. Then, with the staff preoccupied and distracted, Henry quickly tied his blankets together and went out the third floor window.
We human beings crave freedom; it is a desire that resonates in us all. Prison escape movies, like ‘Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Escape From Alcatraz’, are especially captivating. Perhaps it is because the movie viewer relates to the prisoner’s confinement emotionally.
And then cheers the escape!
In the words of the psychiatrist, Victor Frankl, our greatest freedom is the ability to choose our response to any situation that comes our way. We may all yearn to be free, but too many ‘free’ people become prisoners of their own base drives and impulses. Hopefully, we can learn to escape our own internal prisons.
As for Henry, well, unfortunately one of the tied blankets broke loose and he fell and broke both legs.
Henry then sued the hospital for not taking proper care of him.
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"Ramblings on the Psych Ward"
Dr. Guterson: you talk a lot about the soul. Maybe you can help me understand what the soul is?
A: G-d blew His essence into Man. His essence is our essence. And so, when we are truly in touch with our soul, we operate on an entirely different level. In a talk I studied from Rabbi YY Jacobson, he explains that there are six essential features of the soul. The first four features are: Confidence, Honesty, Innocence, and Joy.
This week is the fifth feature: Love
The sages say that you should love someone as you love yourself. But how to do this…?
It starts with proper perspective. If we are rooted in the physical and material mindset, then loving someone else as you love yourself is pretty darn impossible. (I have my needs, you have your needs - yes, we all have at least some narcissism in us!)
However, if we can change our perspective and get to know our soul, it is then possible to see the soul in others. Each soul is an actual piece of G-d Himself. Therefore, my soul and my neighbor’s soul are from the same Source, and are one and the same.
And that’s how you can love someone as you love yourself. They are part of you, and you are part of them. Your souls are intrinsically good and pure. Any external factors are a dependent love and will ultimately fade.
Know your soul and love will flow.
She asked me why she has such a hard time smiling. What is the key to happiness, she pondered.
I told her that happiness is a way of thinking. We can decide the lens we look through in life.
I told her that happiness is not based on having things we want, but instead, just the opposite: wanting the things we have.
Gratitude. Giving. Invest yourself in these and I assure you that you will wake up one morning and realize you’re pretty darn happy.