[FRIAM] help me understand

[Steve Smith]

>
> Amputating these experiences with analgesics seems wrong to me, 
> purposeful stupidity ... but within limits, of course. We tolerate 
> near *acute* extreme behavior amongst those who deserve our respect 
> over longer periods. Savants or eccentric geniuses earn our tolerance 
> of things like alcoholism, heroin addiction, psychotic breaks, etc. 
> Why shouldn't such social tolerance extend to intra-personal 
> behaviors. I try to relish my pain when circumstances afford it. But 
> when those around me *rely* on the predictability of my actions, I 
> have to amputate the self-indulgence.
Some of my best friends (acquaintances) are real jerks, but best taken 
in intermittent, measured quantities.