In a process-relational view, there are no crazies. There are those who subjectivate with the aid of habits developed in response to conditions that have changed sufficiently that those habits are no longer very effective, or are not considered appropriate by others.
Calling someone — and treating someone as — “crazy” is a way of reifying a particular relationship between one’s own subjectivity and that other’s objectivity. In a process-relational understanding, their objectivity is an artifact of our subjectivation. In reality, they subjectivate as much as we do. Within their own history of subjectivation the habits they have developed make perfect sense. They indicate options selected from an array of possibilities to shape a certain array of subjective propensities.
Habits are everything except what we make of them. Remaking them takes work, which requires energy. Attention is a form of energy. Cultivating attention is one of the most useful skills we can develop, but it is not one that an intensively (and extensively) demanding social order supports unless it is attention specifically directed to the tasks it desires for its own perpetuation. Every social order thus breeds its own “crazies” as part of its economy of encouraged and discouraged behaviors.
The same goes for a collective entity, like humanity. In the face of our global and ecological crises, we can and ought to develop new individual and collective habits. But that takes energy which we aren’t prepared to devote to the task until the normal modes of energy circulation get disengaged (probably forcibly) and/or until enough of us begin to develop new habits voluntarily. We do that by experiment, trial and error, and learning.
Fantastic post, Adrian, and a point I stress in my work.
Hey Adrian,
Work is a concept that I’ve been.. well, working on a lot recently. It’s the idea that whatever we do, we are working to construct relationships – even if that means replicating existing (i.e. habitual) relationships – and as you point out, we have to be attentive to that work and the kinds of worlds we bring into existence through it.
We also have to recognize that we’re not the only beings who do work; that plants and animals and even inanimate objects in their own way do work that contributes to the creation of those worlds as well. I believe it’s a rich area for exploration, and relatively under theorized. Levi has done some work on the topic as well. I’m hoping to write an article in the Fall (after I get some other articles out of the way) on the anthropology and theory of work (with Kristin Sullivan – a former student of yours, I think). I would love to see an edited volume on new (ontological) theories of work.
Great post!
Jeremy
Catch the Wind
(a poem about Jason Russell of Invisible Children on the occasion of his reactionary psychosis after his Kony 2012 video went viral)
Useless lawyer waste of people
Mrs. Spring.
And they tease you.
Can you hold your hand out
With the world wind some
With the run of your life?
You turn away.
Pornography,
Your poetic form is finished.
Boring daddy
Hear you play their thoughts.
Go back to work.
I give up.
So much bigger than me.
You’re supposed to send it in.
Your country a track record
Gettin’ into our country.
You can say anything.
I’m not so sure about that.
No response.
I’m serious,
I need this.
Mass movement organization,
Experienced donations so far.
Star into city.
Can somebody give me a donation?
Fresh start,
I will always almost happen.
Translation:
And you fold the world.
Anonymous, mysterious
(Let me get my glasses.
That’s strange.)
We talk to you
Earth activated.
Look at your gymnastics.
Wide horses,
It is good to see yah.
That’s right on
The movie
We Have a World in View.
Pardon me,
What does it mean to yah?
All of it sink in?
Tryin’ to explain to yah
A whole wide world
Movement.
As much as you can
You don’t stop and think
How many are in movements.
All of that’s threatening you.
There remains something important
Over there
Deep
Would benefit your discovery program:
Hear what we think
All the time.
Find the key inside.
Have you been in bed before?
And you’re layin’ there in their scrap,
Who’ve you’ve crossed their minds.
Their hands
Definitely on this.
I’m talkin’ about
A mural
With all these signatures.
Well I bet you
Couldn’t handle the delivery.
I hand it of you
Tasted enemy.
It’s a systems failure.
Know what I mean?
A rising forward movement
In which hundreds connected with deep were slain.
You’re going to go to school,
Examine ideas,
If you let me
Give you something to do.
Sterling Abbot
Your wife’s concentration,
Another wife
You’re gonna live
In the very bones of yourself.
This is not flesh and blood.
It’s your waistcoat
Of ruling ideas
And guarding passions.
Get out;
I don’t want to.
Ruling passions can be difficult
I understand.
Play come on.
In making a very sharp objection
Present myself.
I’m a licensed teacher.
I’ll be conceiving of no reply.
Just a truthful father shooting.
I damage your report to everybody.
I throw it off.
I’m so bombard your home.
Even flying the hammer and sickle you find me.
I’m business news.
Man I’m sitting
Where you put your feet,
What you stand on.
There you are
In our rosebushes.
What you’re looking for
Is a door:
Can we just solve here?
You pick ole Major Warrant,
The simplicity minor that was just talkin’ to yah.
Not him.
Comin’:
Deny it –
Somethin’ eating everybody,
Runnin’ through a whole population.
All the locals come down with it.
They got manifestors runnin’ around.
Not everybody tweaks.
Tommy
You’re no good:
Opportunity
Show some lime in everyone.
Shut the door.
The article
Won’t come out in your paper will it?
If it don’t
Your foolish pride
In front of
Jason.
I’ll explain
That American.
Did Rock Hudson throw a popular fit outside or anything else?
Oops, you got mad at me.
Upended
It,
Piano.
You’re not gonna like this.
Go get your prize:
I’m the man;
That’s me on the spotlight.
Cut that burrito,
Spanish book,
America is beautiful
Machismo.
The same
War bond
In your hunted fugitive.
Almost everywhere
Apparently.
It’s the Earth;
It’s all mankind
Got the problem.
What’s the solution?
You put out fires for sure.
The arson
Don’t make a scapegoat.
Every arson
You make propaganda
Immune from hospital.
Is that the smartest thing to do?
How do you get
The manifestor
To come to terms?
Alienate him further
(Giving that launch infamy)
Increase his fuel,
That stuff inside him bombing children.
He needs to feel
The community.
Stick around:
Man that’s a good question
The community.
Look after One
Is this opera house,
Wire at the top.
Wire specialist
I’ll give him a hug.
We’re gonna go over there.
A very big
Change in identity
So we’re there.
That’s included.
The weathering ride to help,
That’s why you went,
Just to get something
(I’ve dropped this so many times it ain’t funny.):
Enlightenment.
This is not a Buddhist sutra.
We’re lookin’ beyond escape.
This is just phase one.
There’s three.
How much room on spaceships?
The Earth we stay
Planetary and all grown up
If that keeps up:
Darn it,
I should could do better can’t I?
I’ve given you your healing song.
Happy birthday.