Case 26: Patterns

If the world does not make any sense, create your own patterns.
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I went through the phase when I thought an obsessive-compulsive disorder would be a welcome idiosyncrasy to my otherwise boring personality. However, I chose the dullest type of all--arithromania. (Nope, the Count was not my favorite character in Sesame Street.) And so for a few good weeks I counted everything, from line posts to passing jeepneys. Of course, I limited myself to finite objects so do not imagine me counting stars or grains of sand. This then evolved in my fixation for the number three. I will pick the third plate from the stack, scoop three ladlefuls of rice, and wash my hands thrice after eating. There came a time when these became tedious so I stopped. I realized being interesting was too routinary and confining.
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I will try my best to follow my instincts once I form them.
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The ability to see patterns in things requires trained observation and a lot of rationalization. This has led to elliptical planetary orbits, DNA sequences and the periodic table of elements. Man, being too rational a being, can only think in patterns. So he employed them in building bridges, writing poetry, and in dealing with relationships. Even chaos was made to seem to have order, following the law of entropy. Man is a creature of habit, with his traditions and superstitions. It was all to make things simpler. Change is not always welcome unless it is explained by a far simpler pattern. This is done so that each night, you can sleep with peace of mind. You can close your eyes with ease thinking all is right in the world.
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Even madness can be masked by the wildest and most intricate of patterns.