A Man With Paranoia...

A man walks into a library and asks the librarian for books about paranoia. She whispers, "They're right behind you!"

 

I knew a guy who had that problem. He was a very serious guy who had a couple of detractors who were always mocking him and sometimes giving their nonsense threats, like "if you turn us in, we'll poison your tea!" Somebody finally got him to ignore them by saying "Don't let that paranoia."

 

"'Just because you're paranoid doesn't meant they aren't after you.'" –Catch-22

 

Sometimes people accused of paranoia are merely being silenced, in a less violent form of "kill the messenger". Some people are current victims of someone powerful with things to hide.

Mocking and threatening people with paranoia or people who are being accused of paranoia is cruel. It is abuse. It is isolating, which is especially harmful if that person is current victim of abuse. It is kicking someone that is down. I could go on and on.

I have a dear friend with schizophrenia that helped me get started with cybersecurity. I would not have had the fun experience of a semester of college as a cybersecurity student if it were not for him. His help before I returned to college and a couple times when I got stuck on a class assignment were key to my success and inclusion. Sometimes on my own and sometimes with his help, I would show up the only student able to complete the course work.

I still talk to him by videochat, and I treasure those calls. Chances are that I will never see him again. But he is a dear man.

It is ironic that a man that suffers in such isolation, because people will not include him, facilitated and gave me the gift of inclusion into a world that few people get a change to enter.