My first instinct is to answer “YES” to the question in today’s title. And my judgement and opinion are likely clouded by my chosen career and past experiences, but what are we if not the result and development of our past experiences? But most people would disagree. Paranoia is usually not viewed as a good thing, but there are times when it can be a useful tool.
By most standard definitions, paranoia is considered to be a mental condition. This condition usually causes the afflicted person to feel persecuted, watched or threatened despite any evidence to the contrary. There are a number of outlying conditions that can be associated with paranoia, including but not limited to schizophrenia, Paranoid Personality Disorder and many others. But certainly, a person can be paranoid without having a mental condition. In fact, most people have experienced paranoia at some point in their lives.
“Fear Is A Logical Response To Actual Danger!”
– Peter Griffin, Family Guy
Paranoia can be a destructive instinct. It can cause damage to your job, home life and your relationships. Especially if you let it control you (I’m referring to non-mental condition based paranoia, of course). After all, developing the ability to trust others is the foundation of living within modern society. But being aware and wary of a real and genuine threat is a form of paranoia that can be instrumental to life and survival.
I’m not saying that you need to be suspicious and wary of every other person and avoid the outside world. Doing so finds us slipping back into the mental health realm… But sometimes a dose of healthy suspicion is a good thing. The more you observe, the more you notice. So long as you don’t find yourself falling into the loop of more suspicion causes more worry and more worry causes more suspicion. ☯
The Blogging Buddhist 