[Original] Schizophrenia(1)

Pregnant and deserted by her lover, a young girl moves in with her grandfather. When the baby boy is born, the grandfather agrees to look after him so his granddaughter can go to work. Despite the age difference, the relationship between the boy and his great-grandfather was more like two siblings than that of an adult and child. As this boy grew into a young man, he loved to look back and tell stories about his great-grandfather, whom he always called “Pops”.

I told Pops about how all the grade-six students would have to attend a special meeting, “It’s going to be about the LGB something-something community.”

“What kind of community is that?”

“Well, as far as I can tell, it’s about how some people are born homosexual.”

“Hogwash!” exclaimed Pops, “How can one be born a homosexual? For one thing, there is no such thing as a homosexual. People may have sexual relationships with members of their own gender, but they choose to do so, not because they are born a certain way.”

“Well, Pops, there are people at my school who have a different opinion about this.”

“That’s fine, we may all have our opinions, but I guarantee, if you try to voice a different opinion, these people will not listen to you, they will ridicule you. These kinds of opinionated people believe only one thing, there are only two opinions in this world, their opinion, and the wrong opinion.”

“I am certain this guest lecturer will want to consider all sides of the coin. He is just giving us his opinion on this LGB something-something issue, and I can’t see why he wouldn’t ask for other opinions. He is supposed to be a conciliator.”

“What I would like to hear is, rather than people telling me how they were born as homosexuals, I would like them to tell me why they were born in the first place.”

I told Pops I didn’t understand what he was getting at, and he then asked me why I was born. I suggested it was because my parents had sex.

Pops explained, “We, every one of us, is born with a purpose in life, just like all living organisms. Nature’s purpose for all creatures is for them to perpetuate the species so their species does not die out. Everyone’s job is to live long enough to procreate and then to reproduce. Many species, such as salmon, die right after the sexual act because their job has been done, and they have completed Nature’s purpose for them.”

As Pops retrieved a book from his shelf he stated, “As far as being born a homosexual, I want you to read this one line.”

I read, There is no such thing as an alcoholic. I asked, “What’s being an alcoholic got to do with homosexuality?”

“It all boils down to the same thing, behaviour scientists have revealed this very clearly. This book was written by Doctor Eric Berne, a Canadian psychiatrist. This book, along with thousands of other books, reveals how we, the masses, are kept ignorant and immature, because it is good for business.”

“Could you explain yourself?”

Pops was quite happy to do so, “Have you ever wondered why television shows and commercials are so juvenile? The reason is these shows are talking to your Child. The reason for this is children do what feels good and if they don’t get what they want they may have a temper tantrum and make their parents’ life unpleasant enough so they will give in and let the child have the box of candy in a bowl, they call cereal, or the new toy which is being advertised on some cartoon show.”

I was perplexed, “What do you mean when you say they are talking to my Child?”

“Let me explain. Tell me, which person do you mostly talk to?”

“Well, that’s an easy one Pops, it’s you.”

This is when Pops surprised me, “You are wrong. The person you mostly talk to is yourself. Think about it. Aren’t you always running things through your brain?”

“Well, I guess I am, but what has that got to do with homosexuality?”

“Do you ever think about sex?”

“Yes, I have, but I don’t know too much about it, and I keep these thoughts to myself.”

Pops smiled as he carried on, “Now we get to this idea about schizophrenia. People are diagnosed as schizophrenic if they hear voices, but, as Doctor Berne and other experts tell us, everyone hears voices. These voices are the three personalities living in our brains who are always talking between themselves.”

“What do you mean, three personalities?”

“All of us have three personalities which behaviour scientists refer to as ego states. These ego states are, the Exteropsyche which is your Parent, the Neo Psyche which is your Adult, and the Archaeo Psyche which is your Child. Your Child is easily manipulated by emotions, especially fear, since children are naturally afraid of bigger people. To cope with this fear, children continually try to have fun and not worry about consequences. Your Adult is rational and scientific. Your Parent will often admonish your Child. Your Parent is an opinionated worrywart who wants to be the boss. These three personalities are in continual conversation trying to get their point across. A mature person always has their Adult monitoring what their Parent and Child are up to. The Adult should always be in charge. However, a good Adult always listens to what the Child and the Parent have to say because, if you do not acknowledge your Child and Parent, they will surprise you by popping up when you least expect it. And often this leads to disaster.”

I was confused, “This all sounds very complicated.”

“It really isn’t complicated at all once you begin to understand it. Let me give an example. Imagine a young man finding a fifty-dollar bill lying on the ground. His Parent, who is always worrying and very controlling, tells him to quickly grab it and stash it in his wallet so nobody would see it and try to steal it from him. His Adult who is rational and has common sense tells him to put it in the bank where it will earn some interest. His Child, who just wants to have fun, suggests buying a box of beer, some fried chicken, and having a party.”

“Is that the way it is, I have three people inside of me?”

“Sure, think about it. Listen to what’s going on in your brain when you are trying to decide what to do. When you are with your friends, listen to what they are saying. After a while you will be able to tell which one of their personalities they are coming from when they voice their opinions or desires.”

“I’m going to really have to think about this one.”

“I’ll tell you what, you sleep on it, and we’ll carry on with this tomorrow.”

To be continued next month:

Schizophrenia, Chapter 2: The Outcome

Wayne Douglas Weedon is a Manitoba author who writes a combination of fictional and factual stories, essays, and novels.