“My younger son Joseph is very unpredictable. He is beyond any logic or reason. He throws things here and there. He never listens to anyone and throws tantrums very often. Challenges everything. He is brilliant academically and financially settled. But he cannot adjust with anybody. The house is a total mess when he is around. We consulted many doctors including psychiatrists, but nothing worked out. Can you suggest something to help him out?”
I said, “I will tell you about a process we followed in our company. It was an incredibly huge manufacturing concern. I was heading one of the main sections. We had diverse types of machineries, both new and old. Some of the machines were old and needed frequent repair. When the repair becomes unmanageable, we scrap them. We also have a full-fledged workshop with all major departments, viz. mechanical, civil engineering, electrical. Whenever we want to scrap a machinery, we must get a certificate from the workshop saying that the machine is ‘beyond economical repair.’ That means, the repairing cost will surpass the replacement cost, i.e., it will be more than the cost of buying a new one.” I paused for a moment.
“But we cannot write off a human being. In what way is it connected to the present problem?”
“Exactly, I am coming to that. This rule is applicable to material things only, not for human lives. We cannot write of human beings. The human life is priceless. We cannot judge the duration of one’s life span. Recovery from illness is not purely dependent on medication. The complete working of the human brain is still unexplored. Majority of people recover from these ailments. In rarest of the rare cases, recovery is slow and this comes under Beyond human intervention.”
“Means there is no scope for hope?”
“There is always scope for hope. Accept the fact that this is a minor disorder but cannot be set right by force. The patient needs unconditional support from all family members and sometimes may require medication. When you accept the fact, there will be considerable change in your approach too. This in turn will affect the behavior of the patient. You can see significant improvement. Rest your trust in Almighty. Miracles do happen. And one more thing, I am not a qualified medical practitioner. I was sharing my experience.”
