Insanity Defined
Insanity Defined
By Hal Lindsey
No one can say definitively who said it first. It has been attributed to Albert Einstein, but scholars can’t find any time when he uttered the words. The earliest we find the quote in print comes from Alcoholics Anonymous. But whoever said it first, it is worth remembering.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.”
Over the last few decades, western civilization has become increasingly disdainful of God and His word. We have abandoned the principles that gave the most people the most opportunity and greatest prosperity in history. Godly principles broke down class and racial barriers. Today, our society has turned away from those good things.
And it’s not working. High percentages of people now suffer from mental disorders. More and more die from overdoses, overdrinking, or both. Suicide rates keep climbing. Corruption is growing in both the government and the private sector. Civility is becoming rarer. Violent outbursts happen with increasing regularity and in the strangest places. Children are less disciplined and less happy. I could list more, but you already know them.
We reap the whirlwind, then try to fix it by sowing more wind (Hosea 8:7). We sow deceit and reap pain. In response to the pain, we sow even more deceit. And the cycle continues. We try to solve problems by doing the same things that caused the problems, but each time in more extreme ways.
We’re making our problems worse by doubling down on the things that created those problems. We have become a violent and angry society. We need to seek God and repent.
With the Psalmist, we should humbly ask God, “Teach me the way in which I should walk” (Psalms 143:8 NASB). But instead, this society fills its mouth with cursing, deceit, and fraud (Psalm 10:7). It says to itself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it” (Psalm 10:11).
As nations and as individuals we must urgently and earnestly turn to God. Psalm 143:10-11 says it well. “Teach me to do Your will. Let Your good Spirit lead me. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.”