Off the Wall!¶
Crazy is as Crazy Does¶
Balzo hurled himself at the wall with such vigor that he bloodied his nose and broke his left hand. And it wasn’t a single leap at the wall, but repeated and frenetic dives, with each jump adding bruises to his face and arms. His family begged him to stop hurting himself in this way, and the pleas just seemed to add to Balzo’s urgency. “You are acting crazy” they exclaimed, “you have to stop!” Like a dog chewing at mange or a child with an inconsolable itch, Balzo did not relent. His family had him restrained and involuntarily committed to protect him from himself. And it was an easy commitment – it is crazy to jump at the wall over and over.
Who’s Wall?¶
After a little conversation, we discovered that Balzo’s behavior was not the least bit crazy. It made perfect sense once he told us he believed the world was about to tip over on its side. He simply wanted to land on his feet.
Balzo is a real client (name changed) who’s off the wall behavior taught me a great lesson. Often what looks like irrational, crazy, or bizarre is actually very sound logic applied to a different understanding of the world.
Balzo’s belief about the imminent flip of the world no doubt put him in an extreme minority. Still, is there a lesson?
Much of my career involved cultures clashing after being brought together by mergers and acquisitions. Established values in one company seemed crazy based on different experiences even in the same business. One culture’s creativity was chaotic in another’s. Attention to detail perceived as necessary one one felt obstructively anal retentive to another.
If someone’s behavior seems irrational, is it possible their underlying beliefs are simply different? How often do you jump straight to crazy?
While We’re At it
Understanding someone else’s perspective requires thinking. “Thinking is Difficult, That’s Why Most People Judge” (Carl Jung).
Off the wall refers to the surprising or unusual, strange or very different, often intentionally…
Out of the Box also stems from bringing a different perspective - one can get you a raise and the other can get you committed!
Merch
Amuse your friends with this “Off the Wall” expression of you, some experience, or a co-worker or friends name! Makes a great gift or award for coming up with crazy ideas! Customize it:
Add the name of someone who is off the wall
Add something that is off the wall like a class, a band, or some family event!
Come up with your own quote by a comedian or philosopher that is off the wall