Description

By Tom McNeight

ISBN: 9781847474841
Published: 2008
Pages: 167
Key Themes: autobiography, art, paranoid schizophrenia, philosophy, happiness

Description

A mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder can seriously affect ones appraisal of life. Both in a negative way and a positive way. In a negative way, to try to function like a normal adult in todays fiercely competitive world whilst under the influence of loads of medication, life can be a very hard battle. Believe me it is hard. From a positive perspective, coping with life whilst being schizophrenic can enable one to step back from life and obtain a view of it that most people do not ever have. To engineer ones life with enough skill and alacrity to ensure one obtains at least some satisfaction from it depends on things I do not understand. Perhaps some people do. But the secret of happiness seems, on the face of it, to be once again a subjective issue. Something only you alone can deal with.

And this is what this book does, this book is one mans attempt to imbue life, writing and art with meaning, understanding and happiness. It is senseful, compassionate and creative to an unusual degree.

About the Author

Tom McNeight lives in Wanganui, New Zealand. In spite of his diagnosis as a paranoid schizophrenic, with the discrimination he has often experienced and the many manual occupations he has had to work at, he has lived an interesting and exciting life. This includes such adventures as mountaineering, parachuting, bungy jumping, tramping and working in the bush, and fishing. He has completed many philosophy papers at university and has developed a skill in both writing and painting. He continues to enjoy these activities, frequently holding painting exhibitions and writing new books. His other continuing hobby is fishing.