I was just writing a paper and referenced the term "losing my mind" and it got me thinking. Why do we say that we're "losing" our mind? Why not say we're "getting rid of" our minds? Or "throwing out" our minds?
The use of the word "losing" assumes that what is gone, "the mind", was precious or positive and that it being gone is a bad thing.
Ok, yes, losing your mind is a bad thing. But why do we treasure it so much? Personally, I hold my intellectual capacity very dear to my heart. I like to think that it, in part, defines me. Philosophers often say that it is our minds, our awareness that makes us human. It's what separates us from other animals. It's what makes us special.
Maybe we're all just looking to feel special, and in a world where there are too many people to notice every one, it's very easy to assume that what makes me special, is what makes everyone else special. Or even bluntly, my intellectual abilities make me more special than you.
That last paragraph was meant to be illustrative of a deeper drive to excel mentally, not how I actually feel.
It's amazing how much we can learn about ourselves and our culture by the sayings we use.
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