Imagine meeting someone’s daughter for the first time, referring to her as “pretty” and it being considered an insult! What about speaking to an athlete before a big match, asking how they’re feeling, and being told they are psyched bc they’re feeling nice and “nervous.”
If you google “words that used to have different meanings,” you’ll find over 25 commonly used words, that meant something completely different, years ago. Their meanings changed over time. Thanks to “buzzfeed” for the two visual examples shared below.
When we started the “Crazy” Movement, there were some who told us we were crazy to use “Crazy” when launching a nonprofit related to mental health – assuming we’d be using the term as it stands, in a literal sense. To the 3,500 of you who quickly picked up on the vision in just over a month, and have been great early supporters, we would like to say thank you! Your buy-in and support means more than you know.
As a society, we’ve negatively stigmatized enough words when it comes to defining someone’s mental health, that it’s refreshing to see that we can begin to change a word’s meaning for the positive. It’s easy to be “pretty nervous” launching with a creative take on a term and wondering how it will be accepted globally. Let’s continue to celebrate our “Crazy.” Life affects us all, and guess what – it’s ok that it makes us all a little “Crazy.” Don’t be afraid to get help if your “Crazy” is negatively affecting your life, but also don’t be afraid if your “brand of Crazy” makes you feel unique and special.
(Might we actually be able to feel proud walking down the street one day soon, with with the “Crazy” crest plastered on our shirts…seeing others sporting the same, and feeling a sense of connection and belonging? We think so. But then again, we’re crazy.)