This is taken from Alex Caldon’s philosophy book The Quest for Truth: On Finding the Grail, revealing an inspiring new philosophy and spirituality. For details of the book, visit the main site at:
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Sometimes a period of extreme stress or experience can shed light on situations which were previously opaque. It seems that One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest may have been inspired by the true-life experiences of the author. Experiences which most people are oblivious to. The author must surely have experienced extreme stress from within the mental health system for him to be able to understand truths which are not immediately obvious. Cuckoo’s Nest is another story of the reality of love, and the reality of the persecution of love.
The lead character, McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson in the film, is a brawling gambler. In rough clothes and using coarse language he appears to be a violent and unpleasant person, and his history of apparent aggression ultimately lands him in a psychiatric hospital where he is to be “healed”. The reality, however, is not how it is perceived.
When McMurphy goes into the hospital he starts work on the other patients. The expectation would be that he would be detrimental to the health of the others, but this is not the case. (NB it is usually un-wise to take lessons from works of fiction which are subject to any misinterpretations on life at all, but in this case, Cuckoo’s Nest is so accurate to important and obscure truths that it is essential to study it and learn). McMurphy soon befriends his fellow patients. He encourages them to take up basketball, plays cards, talks with them – counselling them! The Indian chief, who the doctors thought was deaf and dumb, begins to talk to McMurphy; without even being aware of it McMurphy is healing the other patients, and he is doing it by giving them the love which they need. The young man with severe neuroses is encouraged to meet women, and he becomes happy, relaxed and begins forming normal relationships. All the patients become happier.
However, the powers that be in the hospital are unaware of what is really going on. To the doctors, McMurphy is still perceived as the foul-mouthed trouble-maker. McMurphy comes up against the mis-perception of the supposedly mentally healthy people. He soon runs into trouble with the main psychiatric nurse, the woman the chief calls “Big Nurse”. McMurphy is perceptive and he watches her while she works with the patients and he can see the way in which her personality is destroying the people she should be caring for. He can see through the illusion; the illusion which the doctors still believe.
“She’s kind of a c*** ain’t she?” He says to the doctors. But they look straight through him. His profanity, although justified, only serve to reinforce the doctors’ perception of McMurphy as a problem. They are not even willing to see McMurphy’s truth. They have rigid egos, which they don’t want questioned. Their mis-perception that a mental health worker is automatically a good person is so entrenched in them that they will only see McMurphy as the bad one, regardless of the reality of what is actually happening.
The lead character, McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson in the film, is a brawling gambler. In rough clothes and using coarse language he appears to be a violent and unpleasant person, and his history of apparent aggression ultimately lands him in a psychiatric hospital where he is to be “healed”. The reality, however, is not how it is perceived.
When McMurphy goes into the hospital he starts work on the other patients. The expectation would be that he would be detrimental to the health of the others, but this is not the case. (NB it is usually un-
However, the powers that be in the hospital are unaware of what is really going on. To the doctors, McMurphy is still perceived as the foul-
“She’s kind of a c*** ain’t she?” He says to the doctors. But they look straight through him. His profanity, although justified, only serve to reinforce the doctors’ perception of McMurphy as a problem. They are not even willing to see McMurphy’s truth. They have rigid egos, which they don’t want questioned. Their mis-