-----Original Message----- From: Chris Burford <cburford at gn.apc.org> Subject: quote from Marx?
>"The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain."
If Marx actually said that, he was revealing a great deal of insight into mental illness. When disturbed individuals intentionally hurt themselves (known as "scarification") it's because, unlike mental anguish, pain in the body is limited. Yes, it hurts, but at least it's definite and bounded and you can see it. It seems to be outside of you.
There's a very good definition of evil, put forth by a political scientist named C. Fred Alford, that starts with this principle. What makes people evil is that, in order to contain their anguish, they're willing to expell it onto others. Evil is powered by dread, and what distinguishes it from mental illness (where the two categories don't overlap) is the absence of empathy.
--Ted