We hear it all the time, and we question it about ourselves as often. What exactly is normal? Why is it so important to be normal or not deviate from the norm in society? What does it mean when some one says he or she is not normal? Normal is a term describing conforming to a standard. Who sets this “standard” Is it the law to be normal, or is it society with generations of influences and expectations that set us rigid in our ways to then conform to this standard and be relieved when we are told by our peers that we are normal, or rather someone else other than us is abnormal.
If everyone was this “normal” person then life would probably be not only quite boring but also quite stagnant. There would be no interest in deviating from the norm and be somebody different. Imagine an entire civilization of drones, would we still be individuals then. Each person behaving exactly in the same way, doing the same sort of thing, talking, acting, performing if you will to the societal expectations. Unfortunately, with pressures from regulations either through government or those that we pose upon our selves we have become quite normalized, and standardized. Our daily drudgery of work, home, chores, and monotone lives leave us all feeling worn out, beaten down, and tired. Check your own level of energy and you will realize the same. You are not deviating from the standard norm. So therefore you are now normal ! Congratulations.
It starts from school, and in the home. Behaviors that encourage free thinking, or behaving are considered abnormal and so are squashed by teachers, parents, and peers. You are molded into the society’s idea of what a person should be, and does not encourage the person to truly be an individual with creativity, spontaneity, vision, to explore all opportunities. An example is in school let us say a child is drawing a picture of a tree. You and I know that a tree has green leaves, brown trunk etc, but to a child drawing a tree can be an expression of freedom and creativity. They can draw it in any color, and shape. But to only be then told that they are wrong and “do it this way” is quite common place, thereby suppressing individuality for the sake of joining mainstream education.
Life is like being on the highway. There are fast, medium and slow drivers, yet we are all meant to follow the speed limit. Some follow the sign, and get to their destination at the appointed time, some speed faster and get to their destination faster, and some drive at the pace of a snail and never get anywhere on time. I am not advocating violating traffic law, just that use your own judgement of normalcy. We are always comparing ourselves to each other, which further restricts our performance in being unique. Unfortunately constant comparison, leads to constant judgement, which leads to most of our problems of dissatisfaction, mistrust, resentment which then leads to breakdown of communication, anger and hatred and deviation from the norm. But yet these behaviors go unchecked, so then this becomes the new norm.
We may have been cut from the same divine cloth, but once born are unique in every way. We should allow our light within to flourish each day and blow out of the Bell curve. So next time you see a person with blue hair, or tattooed from head to toe, or someone not wearing the latest fashion trends, do not judge them, instead smile and know that being unique and expressing your own individual uniqueness is the new normal.
We spend so much time and effort trying to be “normal” no one really even knows what that means anymore, and then you spend hours on the couch of your therapist trying to figure out why you are not normal. And then more hours trying to change yourself to becoming normal, and then the remaining lifetime miserable that you are normal.
Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, are you happy in the skin that you are in? Are you feeling normal? or are you feeling like the radiant beautiful uniqueness that you were born with and meant to be?
