Foolishness and Madness

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 1 April, 2025 There cannot be a better statement on madness / foolishness on Fools' Day than this one that appeared in Allen Ginsberg's iconic poem, "How!”: " I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness." By the way, " How! " is considered one of the most important and controversial poems of the 20th century. In his celebrated poem "How! ," Allen Ginsberg lamented the tragic decay and destruction of the best minds of his generation due to the relentless grip of madness. Reflecting the disillusionment and disillusioning experiences of the Beat Generation, Ginsberg captured the essence of his contemporaries, those gifted individuals who were not afraid to challenge the status quo and question societal norms. However, amidst the pursuit of freedom, creativity, and spiritual enlightenment, many fell victim to the corrosive effects of mental illness. Ginsberg's sombre observation serves as a metaphorical elegy, shedding light on the oppressive forces that eroded the once-brilliant souls and underscored the cost of true artistic expression in a society that often fails to comprehend and nurture genuine brilliance. While foolishness and madness are not exactly the same, there's not much difference between the two either. The patently foolish actions and decisions of our asinine political leaders instigate the already mad mobs and they run amok. In these terribly polarised times, we all have witnessed how sane minds have gone insane in a jiffy and how foolishly the best of us have succumbed to the divisive ethos of our times. Call it religious madness, political madness or any other kind of madness, we're affected by some sort of a madness. When the country's otherwise sane and sensible Chief Justice asserts that Ram came in his dream and guided him to take a 'right' decision regarding Ram Janmabhoomi issue, isn't his mind temporarily kayoed by madness? There's no prize for guessing who's this Chief Justice I'm alluding to. When perfectly, or at least ostensibly, sane people forward all bogus WhatsApp posts and vitiate the minds of scores of indolent lotus eaters and wastrels (there's no dearth of such characters in India), isn't it an act of madness? When the Hindu mythology is on the syllabi of a few states and when certain State Boards have taken a unanimous decision to allow their students to use WhatsApp lingo while writing their answers, won't you call it madness? After contaminating the waters of Allahabad and creating a humongous mess for 45 days during the Maha Kumbh jamboree that concluded just a month ago, the Maharashtra government is getting ready for an encore at Nasik for the ensuing Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh)! What else would you call it, if not unmitigated madness? Foolishness and madness are contagious human dispositions. Foolishness is deeply ingrained in all of us. When we give enough rope to our deep-seated foolishness, it bursts out as an act of madness because we're prone to it. This madness spree has destroyed many minds and will continue to impact in the days to come. Brace yourself for that! Even rejoice in your madness as John Dryden wrote in his poem 'Zimri: The Duke of Buckingham': "Blest madman, who could every hour employ/ With something new to wish, or to enjoy!" ... A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/ginsberg-foolishness-madness/d/135022 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism