I feel numb in this kingdom

In every fairy tale I've read, there's always a king and a kingdom. The same can be said for real life; power and hierarchy establish themselves in different forms. Whether it's democracy or a dictatorship, there's always an uneven distribution of power and authority amongst the chosen few.

When I first bought my PlayStation 3 at 14 years of age, I was advised to play this game called uncharted. Think of it as a more action-filled version of Indiana Jones.

 If I remember correctly, there's a story of a king who was a sane person among the insane. He cast Djinns into a brass vessel which ended up in the city's water supply. Thus, it drove everyone mad.

The king decided that since he's the only sane person, he'd drink the water and become "normal" just like everyone else. Of course, he ended up crazy. But it's his search for normalcy and a sense of belonging is what matters.

Insanity can be defined as doing the same action over and over again expecting a different outcome. How many times have we switched the TV on and off instead of taking it to a specialist or changing the remote's battery. How many times have we seen a person pray to pass an exam instead of studying for it?

Everyone's insane in their own unique manner and perspective. It's the result of our knowledge, experience and skills. We all go insane in pursuit of our deepest desires. However, only the so called "sane" individuals choose who gets locked up.

In 1988, Alan Moore wrote his masterpiece "the killing joke". In it, Moore defines the origin story for the joker; one of the most notorious villains of our time.

The joker targets Jim Gordon who's one of the city's few honest cops. He does all this to prove that all it takes is one bad day to become him. To reach the deepest confines of insanity.

To give another example of insanity, joker dies in another novel. Batman says "even after all you've done, I still would've saved you". The joker replies " Haha that is pretty funny and dies smiling".

Is the dark knight a righteous embodiment of PTSD and God complex? Is he the hero that Gotham deserves?" Perhaps he's just bat shit insane. In the end, he subdues criminals knowing that they're going to end up right back where he found them due to a fractured justice system.

I look at social insanity as the result of a collective societal influence. We're raised from a very young age to not do anything out of the ordinary. Not to attract attention but to blend in within society. What happens when you try to unveil this collective insanity? Well, people don't take too kindly to having their ways of life mentioned as "crazy".

Throughout history from Pythagoras to Joan of Arc, every person was crucified for challenging the then common ideals of society and challenging the tight grip of its shackles. People are always quick to judge and slow to forget. They are slow to challenge their normative ways of living. They're even less likely to abandon it (just look at flat earthers FFS).

How far we are from going mad is just one bad day. Afterwards, we soldier on through this societal charade in search of meaning and explanations. Personally speaking, if I had to look for deep meaning, I'd ask the world why I was born an innocent child in the midst of a war I had no say in. Why did I pass through the body of a dead school guard at the gate when I was 10 and pretended it was ok. Is it okay now? Is anyone not searching for meaning in this mad world which travels in circular motion? What if we were to break the circle and cycle of events? Should we expect crucification as our former peers?

To put it simply "It's all a joke! Everything anybody ever valued or struggled for... It's all a monstrous, demented gag! So why can't you see the funny side?

Why aren't you laughing?"

So let's put a smile on that face. Let's laugh at our societal paradox and hope for the better just as we've always done. Let's leave sanity to the insane and hope it works out in our favor even though time and time again has shown us otherwise.