10/10 World Mental Health Day

What is mental health in an insane society?

"It is no measure of good health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society"?

~ J. Krishnamurti Conformity for the sake of conformity, and Normality for the sake of normality are never good things, but especially not in a mad world. Assertion:

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

Evidence:

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Believe me, in today's world, nearly all of us do, it is almost inescapable, what with all the lies, propaganda, advertising, half-truths, and obfuscation.

Really, we have, and need to have:

and we've been at war almost my entire life and spend horrible vast fortunes on killing foreigners and/or preparing to and on suppressing dissent and non-conformity here at home.But, hey, that's really healthy shit, right? You know how great this normalcy is when you look at the historical cures for wrong-think, for believing that maybe this isn't so wonderful, hanging, burning, torture, electro-shock and insulin shock, lobotomies and life in the nuthouse, or just about anything other than free thought.

On this day in history:

0680 -- The Battle of Karbala was fought 0732 -- The Battle of Tours was fought 1582 -- Nothing at all happened in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain; the date does not exist there 1846 – Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, was discovered 1868 -- Carlos Cespedes proclaimed the Grito de Yara, starting the Cuban war of Independence from Spain (aka 10 Years War) 1897 -- Felix Hoffmann discovered an improved way to make aspirin 1903 -- Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union 1911 -- The Wuchang Uprising, which led to the founding of the Republic of China 1913 -- Construction of the Panama Canal ended with a bang when President Woodrow Wilson blew up the Gamboa Dike 1928 – Chiang Kai-shek became Chairman Dictator of the Republic of China. 1938 -- The Munich Agreement ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. 1957 – The Windscale fire resulted in Britain's worst nuclear accident. 1963 -- The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty went into effect, partially, one assumes 1967 – The Outer Space Treaty went into farce. 1973 -- Spiro T. Agnew resigned as US Vice President. No big loss. 1980 -- El Salvador's FMLN was founded 2002 – The United States Congress approved the Authorization for Use of Military Force against anybody we feel like 2010 -- The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved as a nation, eliminating some YUUUGE US Corporate tax avoidance schemes.

Some people who were born on this day:

When you look at art made by other people, you see what you need to see in it.

~~ Alberto Giacometti 1684 -- Jean-Antoine Watteau, painter 1731 -- Henry Cavendish, chemist, physicist, and philosopher 1813 -- Giuseppe Verdi, composer 1861 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian 1870 – Louise Mack, Australian journalist, author, and poet 1901 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter 1902 – K. Shivaram Karanth, Indian journalist, author, and activist 1914 -- Ivory Joe Hunter, singer, songwriter and pianist 1915 -- Harry Edison, A trumpet player and composer 1917 -- Thelonious Monk, pianist and composer 1923 -- Louis Gottlieb, singer, comic, musicologist and bass player 1924 – James Clavell, Australian-American director, producer, screenwriter, and author 1924 -- Ed Wood, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, had a plan from outer space 1926 -- Oscar Brown, singer, songwriter, playwright, activist and actor 1930 -- Harold Pinter, actor, director, screenwriter, activist and playwright 1941 -- Peter Coyote, actor, director, and screenwriter, member of the Diggers and the S.F. Mime Troupe 1941 -- Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ogoni author and activist murdered by the Nigerian government as a favor to Royal Dutch Shell. 1946 -- John Prine, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1948 – Cyril Neville, American R&B percussionist and singer 1954 -- David Lee Roth, singer, songwriter and producer 1958 -- Tanya Tucker, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1979 – Kangta, South Korean singer-songwriter, producer, and actor 1979 -- Mya, singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress 1994 – Bae Suzy, South Korean singer, actress and model

Some people who died on this day:

Social progress and changes of historical period take place in proportion to the advance of women toward liberty, and social decline occurs as a result of the diminution of the liberty of women.”

~~ Charles Fourier 0019 -- Germanicus, Roman general 0680 -- Husayn ibn Ali, Islamic religious leader, Muhammad's grandson 1659 -- Abel Tasman, merchant and explorer 1800 -- Gabriel Prosser, caught planning a slave rebellion in the US and hanged for it. 1837 -- Charles Fourier, philosopher and academic 1872 -- William H. Seward, lawyer and politician, committed Seward's folly. 1963 -- Edith Piaf, singer, songwriter and actress 1964 -- Eddie Cantor, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor 1973 -- Ludwig von Mises, economist and sociologist, a quack and a hack 1985 -- Yul Brynner, actor, no good rooskie 1985 -- Orson Welles, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter 2010 -- Joan Sutherland, soprano and actress 2013 – Cal Smith, singer, guitarist and bumpkin

Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: World Day Against the Death Penalty World Mental Health Day World Homeless Day  

Today's Tunes 

Ken Saro-Wiwa

Giuseppi Verdi (Look, Ma, kultchure)

Ivory Joe Hunter

Harry Edison

Thelonius Monk

Louis Gottlieb

Oscar Brown

John Prine

Cyril Neville

David Lee Roth

Tanya Tucker

Mya

Edith Piaf

Joan Sutherland (More Verdi, a twofer)

Kacey Musgraves and friend

So, um yeah, mental health day,most definitely, fer sure, fer sure. HEH. A mental health meditation for us all:

Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?

Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com