Guy's Books and Thoughts

I have not seen the movie based on the book. The book is about the
life of John Nash, who was a brilliant mathematician, who slipped into
madness around 1959 and remained in that condition for about 30
years.

I won�t say that being a Christian will make one immune to madness.
But I wonder if John Nash�s worldview may have left him vulnerable?
Nash declared himself to be an atheist or freethinker. I was
somewhat disgusted that he had a son by a mistress, but would not
marry her because she of a lower class, in his opinion. He would not
pay child support for the first years of his son�s life. I recently
finished Frank Sheed�s book THEOLOGY AND SANITY. He wrote from a
Roman Catholic perspective. His point is not holding to a Christian
worldview or heeding God�s commands is a denial of reality and
therefore insanity. In other words the 10 commandments are not some
abstract ideas or suggestions. Methodist E. Stanley Jones also talked
about a moral law in the universe. His point was that you don�t break
God�s law, because by transgressing God�s laws, you will be broken.
The Anglican C.S. Lewis in his MERE CHRISTIANITY also addresses the
question of a moral law in the universe. And surprisingly, I even
heard a teacher in a business class ask if there was some sort of
moral law in the universe.

The book also made an interesting point that a number of �mentally
ill� patients have pulled out of their illness on their own. Nash
himself states that it was NOT new therapy which brought him out of
his delusional state. He made a comment about hormonal changes which
came with aging. He also talked about a change of focus. In his
delusional state, imagined himself to be dealing with some sinister
conspiracy, he was obsessed with numerology and finding hidden
meanings. He moved away from obsessing over numerology and focused
real math problems. And gradually over time, he retuned to the real
world. While the author does seem to defend modern psychiatric
practice, she does say it was a good thing that Nash did not continue
with drug therapy, because those drugs had some serious physical side
effects. After reading the book, one wonders just how effective is
modern psychology in �curing� people It almost seems like quackery to
me.. Tom Cruise for all his nonsensical pronouncements may have a
point about psychiartry.

I wonder if John Nash could have been spared some misery if he had put
God first instead of regarding himself as the center of the universe?
He definitely should not have listened to those �voices� in his head.
And he shouldn�t have been so self centered. .

It is interesting to see how things have played out. The son by the
mistress went on to become a nurse, who considered going for a
Master�s degree in nursing. The son by the wife, Johnny, inherited
his father�s brilliance earning a PhD from Rutgers. But Johnny also
inherited his father�s madness, hearing voices. And Johnny was the one
at the end of the book who could not hold a job and lived at home,
needing his parent�s constant care.

Perhaps there were consequences to him ignoring the plight of his
mistress and their son for several years. Perhaps John Nash should
have been taken responsibility for actions and at least paid child
support, if he would not marry her.

Guy