THE NECESSITY OF WONDER
AT THE Monday morning feedback meeting I’m informed by the nursing staff that there are three Nelson Mandelas on the ward. They’re behaving in a courteous, dignified way towards one another. There’s no dispute among them as to who the true Mandela might be – instead, they appear to respect the choice that each has made to be an eminent and revered figure.
There’s never been a Jacob Zuma on our ward. The ex-president, who’s now facing charges of corruption, isn’t a popular figure in our refracted world.
Some time ago, a very large and fierce black man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was admitted to the high-care unit insisting he was Helen Zille, the premier of the Western Cape at the time. This was curious because Helen Zille is a middle-aged white woman. It was surprising to us that a recent immigrant from central Africa should’ve chosen to be her.
Choice is not generally a consideration in psychoses. You don’t choose to be psychotic, but I do think it’s possible that, at some level, there’s a degree of agency regarding the content of delusions.
The choice to be a Mandela rather than a Zuma isn’t random, I believe. These are two political figures who symbolise very different philosophies and moralities. The one features on our ward and the other doesn’t.
I think our patients want the world to be safer and kinder.
