Yes, yes I do… though mostly because compared to other people, I am. Do I feel out of control and dangerous? Not at all. But the way people react to me and criticize my behavior makes me acutely aware that I am not “normal.”
Normal of course is vastly overrated. Aside from being a statistical illusion, it’s boring to be that conformist. Normal equates to invisible in so far as you’ll be noticed. While that can be a good thing if you happen to have enemies, it also means you’ll make no friends, be passed over for promotion, and generally fall through the cracks of society. Normal is something no one should ever strive to be, no matter what the prescription drug pushing commercials say. Providing you are not a danger to yourself or others, it’s perfectly acceptable to be different from the person next to you.
Unfortunately, society doesn’t judge its constituents based on the bell curve. You either adhere to the cultural norms of your socio-economic sphere of influence or you vacate to the fringe where you will not be judged so harshly by those who consider themselves your peers. Whether or not I consider myself crazy, I have others to pass judgment for me. Whatever… the feeling’s mutual. I think “normalcy” is crazy. Attempts to “fit in” rather than “stand out” in a crowd may be an evolutionary benefit in some cases, but it hardly ensures the long term existence of your genes. For one thing, you’ll be passed up more often by potential mates if they can’t see you. If, like me, procreation is not high on your agenda, there is still the propagation of your memes to consider. Ideas, like genes, are important to pass on to the next generation. Biting your tongue may increase your chances of survival from day to day, but when the day does come that you do pass on, your ideas will die with you.
I don’t know. You tell me. Am I crazy? Are you? Is it better to be an abnormal, true-to-yourself, fringe dweller or barely a blip on the radar of society? Who benefits more from perceived insanity, the crazy person or the normal one? If you ask me, the crazy person is usually the happier one because they’re not worrying about fitting in. Maybe it’s time to adjust our definitions. “Normal” people seem crazy to me.
May 21st
Plato was born in 429BC.
The 7th day of Epipi commemorates the Sailing of the netjers after Hathor. This is the Egyptian holy day of Tefnut.
In 1911, Peter Hurkos was born in the Netherlands. Developing astonishing psychic powers after recovering from a coma, he became world-famous for solving crimes though psychometry. He passed away in Los Angeles on May 25, 1988.
Gwydion Pendderwen was born in Berkeley, California in 1946. He was a Celtic Bard, a cofounder of the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft, and the founder of a Neo-Pagan networking organization called Nemeton. He died in the Autumn of 1982 as a result of a tragic automobile accident.
Comments (3)
i’m a little of both worlds. i seem crazy sometimes and normal others. just depends on the moment you catch me in.
I don’t think I’m crazy, but there are times when I wonder of all the “normal” people are.
I agree with you on the “normal” thing. Being normal wouldn’t serve me, although I’d better be normal for me. That means *I* get to define it for myself. I definintely don’t want to be drugged by Big Pharma so I can be comfortable doing the wrong things.