It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours.
Diogenes of Sinope

You might have heard the story of Diogenes of Sinope. The famous philosopher from the 4th century B.C. walked through Athens in broad daylight carrying a lantern. When people asked what he was doing, he replied: “I am looking for an honest man.”

I was reminded of this story when I listened (not read:) to the first chapters of a book by Manfred Lütz, the former Director of the Mental Hospital of Cologne, called “Crazy – we’re treating the wrong people!”, or: Irre – wir behandeln die Falschen. He explains and questions our understanding of what it is to be crazy and what it is to be normal. He talks about the insanely normal ones, and the normal insane ones. The normopathen normopaths – not sure whether I got this translation right.

It’s fascinating. And amusing. I had a good laugh.

Last week, I believe, I met some honest people.

There was a man from an Approved Housing Body (AHB), a charity that has built thousands of homes for those who cannot pay market rents. While the HSE is happily planning to take over land from us earmarked for phase 2 of our Teach An Saol project which is all about housing – they are, at the same time, saying very clearly that they are not in the business of building housing and that they have no plans for phase 2; this man said it was a no-brainer for his AHB to build housing on this piece of land. Accessible and supported housing.

Then, Dublin’s Lord Mayor came to visit. He spent almost all of his time with us talking to our clients and to our staff, trying to understand what our work is all about. The slightly cynical view of this could be that he might have known that Pádraig lives in his constituency and is an ardent voter. But I also felt some genuine interest and concern that those who have been left behind for far too long should get the support they so urgently need. Finally. And that he was going to do whatever is in his powers to make that happen.

Diogenes wasn’t ashamed or fearful to annoy or to say things that caused consternation. In fact, he saw it as his duty to make people aware of the wrongs in the world, and their own wrongs. Another one of his famous sayings is: “In a rich man’s house there is no place to spit but his face.”

These days, we don’t spit anymore. Not on the street or in bars. Less into peoples faces.

But there are occasions when we should put political correctness aside for a moment and say things the way they are.

To be honest.

It’s our duty. We owe that to our sons and daughters, and to society.