The Three Christs of Ypsilanti - Milton Rokeach [52]
Thanksgiving Day. Joseph submits a written report on the group meeting.
Meeting began at 5:00 p.m., and ended at 5:45 p.m.
Discussion: On a poem by Edgar A. Guest, titled: A Thanksgiving Prayer! It is a prose poem however.
It is a thankfulness for the blessings one gets out of life! For one’s health; for one’s strength! for burdening the supportings of Day! for one’s prosperity, for glad experiences; for gratitudes from others; from services rendered; for endless others.
We’ve also discussed our Thanksgiving Day dinner! We’ve enjoyed our Turkey dinner: It consisted of Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, giblets-gravy—of bread, fritter, pumpkin pie, not to forget cranberries in the meat place rather plate and of course coffee—real coffee. There was also dressing. It was a very enjoyable dinner.
December 14. Leon tells us that he had a birthday yesterday. His only celebration, he remarks, was to say “Happy Birthday” to himself in the mirror. Then he adds: “December 25 is not the date of Jesus’ birth. This date was set for business reasons. December 25 is business Christmas.”
Mid-morning. The ward psychiatrist calls Leon into his office to inform him that his mother has just passed away. “I have no mother,” Leon responds. “She disowned me a long time ago, and I have disowned her.” He goes on to say that he didn’t hate her, he just hated the “evil ideal” for which she stood and may her remains rest in peace and her works follow after her. He shows no visible reaction to the news. Asked if he thought it was appropriate for us to tell him of it, he says: “If you mean by that, sir, do I want to go to her funeral, the answer is no.” Asked if he felt unhappy about his mother’s death, he replies: “No, sir, why should I feel bad? She wasn’t my mother.” Asked if he would like to take the rest of the day off from work, he replies: “No, why should I?” And he continues, without emotion, to say that he would rather go back to work in the laundry.
Early evening. Joseph informs Leon and Clyde it is time for the group meeting. Leon, seeing a research assistant, approaches him and says: “Sir, I have been misinformed again.” When asked what it was he had been misinformed about, he states he had been informed that Joseph had passed away. Who had informed him of this? Clyde. During the group meeting Leon insists, in Joseph’s presence, that Joseph has died, and that the body attending the meeting is a living body, which is not Joseph, although it is in the same shape as Joseph. He states further that Joseph’s reincarnation is not a true reincarnation such as that of Jesus Christ, but some kind of Frankenstein monster. Joseph, on hearing this, laughs loudly and says: “Well, there are some people who wished I had passed away, but I have not passed away.” Leon, asked if he isn’t getting two different people confused, denies this. In contrast to his outer calm earlier in the day upon hearing of his mother’s death, he is now obviously anguished. He seems to have aged ten years since this morning.
Two days later, Leon is interviewed alone to ascertain in more detail his attitude toward his mother’s death. He expresses much the same attitudes as those already elicited, but adds that he feels sorry for her if she didn’t repent before she died. “Considering her attitude, I sincerely believe she didn’t repent.” While he is speaking he gazes intently at the palms of his hands, not once looking up. When asked about this he says: “It’s advisable to have them in view. I know what I’m doing with them.”
Leon reports that he heard a resident psychiatrist and a nurse discussing an article on schizophrenia which showed that a certain drug treatment had been a failure. “My analysis,” Leon goes on, “is that you build up the body first and then use positive suggestion. You can only put