The World Needs More Crazy People Like These!
And this is your invitation to participate in my new community for people who are or want to be that kind of crazy
I usually avoid using words like “crazy” that can have negative connotations. But there’s a good kind of crazy I want to be and think you might, too. A sermon by Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shared on episcopalchurch.org (and quoted by my pastor) reminded me that being crazy can be a positive quality. Crazy people challenge widely-held beliefs. They do things other people consider impossible. They change the world.
A 1997 Apple commercial highlighted people like Bob Dylan, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. as examples. This is the definition of “crazy” people used in that commercial:
The misfits. The rebels.
The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore.
They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy. …
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
are the ones who do.
I think the world could use a lot more crazy people right now. And I want to be one of them.
But I know I can’t be that kind of crazy without help. I need to be in a community of people who also want to be crazy. I need people who will reassure me that my efforts aren’t in vain when I’m weary and cynical. People who will help me hold on to the crazy thought that I can change the world when I feel hopeless and powerless.
And I want to do the same for them. So I’m creating a chat here on Substack that I hope will become that community.
For at least the next month, the chat will be open to all subscribers. I want anyone who’s interested to be able to check it out, leave comments, and suggest ways to make it better. Every subscriber should get an email notification about this new chat within 24 hours.
Later it will become a private chat for paid subscribers only. I’m doing that for the same reason I only allow paid subscribers to comment on these posts: I want to create a safe space for people to connect on a deeper level and share personal experiences.
When I only let paid subscribers comment, I still can’t guarantee confidentiality or that everyone will be kind. But that restriction greatly reduces the likelihood and amount of spam and cruel remarks. And a smaller, more intimate community is much easier to moderate; I can quickly find and delete inappropriate comments.
I’m excited about this new community chat and hope to see some of you there soon!