Nobody's "Normal"
You know what's funny? How people condemn others on a daily basis for not being "normal" or for being "weird", as we usually put it. I looked up normal to see what the standard definition was on dictionary.com. Pertaining to this issue, it is as follows:
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type.
I thought this was interesting because they used the word conform and I believe that's exactly what being normal is. Conforming to a person's, or group of persons, idealistic view of the way we should act, think and function in society. Sure, we do need some conformity in order to keep the world slightly sane and less chaotic. I'm not saying we should break laws and such just to prove that we aren't of the norm, but we shouldn't be afraid of thinking, or acting outside the box. By insinuating a norm in society, I don't think it teaches anybody anything, except that we MUST act a certain way or dress in certain clothes to be labeled what you want others to label you as, and in order to be deemed "normal".
Although there have been many people trying to imitate the role of normal in society, such as celebrities, who are hailed for their style and attitudes, there has also been other people who have gone out of their way to avoid the norm so that they can change the world to better it. Just think of slavery. What if Martin Luther King Jr. conformed to societal expectations the rest of his life and didn't do anything to fix the wrong in the world? Possibly, black people wouldn't have the same rights they have today. Same with Rosa Parks. The norm was for blacks to sit at the back of the bus and give whites the priviledge of the front. She didn't want to conform to society, so she sat at the front and look what happened! Still others continued to branch off from the norm and helped change the world. Mother Theresa was known worldwide for her caring and giving heart. The norm in society was, and still is, to think of yourself first and others later if it fits into your plan, but she had a heart for the people and decided to help them instead of turning a blind eye towards them (or however the saying goes).
Yeah, sure, there have been others who have avoided the norm and devastation has occurred as a result, such as Hitler and Stalin and other people like them. But they're just crazy.
My point is, just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't make it worthwhile. I think people are too easily swayed by the ways of the world and conforming to society and being "normal". Trust me, I know it's hard to avoid being like everyone else. Hey! I'm like everyone else, too. But it was just a thought. I just hate it when people use the excuse that "everyone does it" or "he/she did it first". I've seen too many people get hurt because they stepped over this person or ignored that person because they weren't "normal" or they didn't act like everyone else and they didn't want others to think they were actually friends with this person because they were deemed "weird". The funny thing is, there really isn't anybody who is normal to everyone. Canadian society is weird to Asian culture; and American society is weird to African society, and so on. Skaters are weird to preps, goths are weird to nerds, etc. So there ya have it. In many ways, we're all weird. Enjoy it. And quit worrying what the guy beside you is thinking. Most likely, he doesn't give a crap anyways.
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type.
I thought this was interesting because they used the word conform and I believe that's exactly what being normal is. Conforming to a person's, or group of persons, idealistic view of the way we should act, think and function in society. Sure, we do need some conformity in order to keep the world slightly sane and less chaotic. I'm not saying we should break laws and such just to prove that we aren't of the norm, but we shouldn't be afraid of thinking, or acting outside the box. By insinuating a norm in society, I don't think it teaches anybody anything, except that we MUST act a certain way or dress in certain clothes to be labeled what you want others to label you as, and in order to be deemed "normal".
Although there have been many people trying to imitate the role of normal in society, such as celebrities, who are hailed for their style and attitudes, there has also been other people who have gone out of their way to avoid the norm so that they can change the world to better it. Just think of slavery. What if Martin Luther King Jr. conformed to societal expectations the rest of his life and didn't do anything to fix the wrong in the world? Possibly, black people wouldn't have the same rights they have today. Same with Rosa Parks. The norm was for blacks to sit at the back of the bus and give whites the priviledge of the front. She didn't want to conform to society, so she sat at the front and look what happened! Still others continued to branch off from the norm and helped change the world. Mother Theresa was known worldwide for her caring and giving heart. The norm in society was, and still is, to think of yourself first and others later if it fits into your plan, but she had a heart for the people and decided to help them instead of turning a blind eye towards them (or however the saying goes).
Yeah, sure, there have been others who have avoided the norm and devastation has occurred as a result, such as Hitler and Stalin and other people like them. But they're just crazy.
My point is, just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't make it worthwhile. I think people are too easily swayed by the ways of the world and conforming to society and being "normal". Trust me, I know it's hard to avoid being like everyone else. Hey! I'm like everyone else, too. But it was just a thought. I just hate it when people use the excuse that "everyone does it" or "he/she did it first". I've seen too many people get hurt because they stepped over this person or ignored that person because they weren't "normal" or they didn't act like everyone else and they didn't want others to think they were actually friends with this person because they were deemed "weird". The funny thing is, there really isn't anybody who is normal to everyone. Canadian society is weird to Asian culture; and American society is weird to African society, and so on. Skaters are weird to preps, goths are weird to nerds, etc. So there ya have it. In many ways, we're all weird. Enjoy it. And quit worrying what the guy beside you is thinking. Most likely, he doesn't give a crap anyways.
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