I am definitely not normal, and I am not afraid to say it out loud – I am unique! Today I came across this post, written by Henry L Walton, author of the humorous steampunk book series, The Journals of Thaddeaus Shockpocket.
To blog or not to blog? My publisher says that it is imperative to blog. Much like the ‘publish or perish’ maxim in the academic world, the modern world of the author apparently requires a blog in order to maximize exposure. I wonder what it is that makes blogs so important or, more to the point, so popular in our current culture. Well, blogs that focus on specific topics like the latest cooking trends are a great source of practical information such as new recipes and ways to prepare dishes that otherwise are simply old and tired. Movie review blogs steer me to pictures that suit my particular interests and book review blogs do similar for my reading selections.
But what about all those other blogs? Those that simply chronicle someone’s activities or their random thoughts on arbitrary topics with no rhyme or reason as to why they chose that subject matter for the day. Why are they so popular? Is it because we are voyeuristic by nature and get some degree of pleasure by sitting at a screen and reading of another person’s activities and thoughts without actually having to interact with them? Or is it that we take comfort in hearing of other people’s misadventures and reading the sordid details of their dysfunctional families and strange proclivities that make our own dysfunctional families and insane thoughts seem almost normal by comparison.
Yes, that must be it. Often are days when I think the other members of my family are certifiably crazy, my own behavior a tich off kilter, and my life a comedy of errors, but then I read blogs and take comfort in the knowledge that my world, while not exactly perfect, is certainly more normal than that of others.
Then again, what is normal? One dictionary defines it as, ‘conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal’. Not abnormal? And what is abnormal defined as? Not normal. Okay, that cinches it. Normal does not mean anything. It is a construct to make people feel a part of a group. A way of identifying and segregating the ‘others’. Behave as we say and you will be deemed normal. Deviate from our standards and you are abnormal. It is really just part of a clan mentality. We find comfort in grouping with others that hold the same interests. Those within a group of similar types are, by definition, normal. But to outsiders, they are probably abnormal. You can read the whole article here.
……….
I totally agree, I have written several articles about this fact, that normal does not mean anything – it is a feeling that you belong to a group with other people like you – a feeling that makes you feel good and safe. Other than that, we are not normal, we are unique! This I have known since I went with diapers and you have probably to – but then society tells us the opposite.
The community does not want us to be independent, free thinking human beings – the society wants us to be a benefit to society, to be streamlined so that we can be a good resource for the community rather than ourselves, for that is the normal thing to do, right? – and then we die.
This is also the reason, I believe, that people follow bloggers, also bloggers with nothing else to offer than themselves, their normal and boring life. People don´t follow for the content’s sake – often these bloggers are quite vain, but because they are doing something unusual: they tell us about their normal life!
The fact that these bloggers so openly tell us about their lives, their very normal lives – and think that this is of interest for others – is also quite unusual, at least it was unusual before 2017. So then people, not me of course, because I am not normal and never will be, follow normal people’s normal life, simply because they offer us a sneak peek into their dreary lives – which is an abnormal thing to do. And what does this tell us?
Well, remember this: We are born unique – we just have to get back to ourselves. And when we find our true selves – we might, believe it or not, find an exceptionally exciting “I” in ourselves, yes, so extraordinarily – that to peek at other normal people’s boring life is just that, and nothing else – boring.
We were born unique – be that unique person:-)
Trude Helen Hole, New Spirit Communication
I am definitely not normal, and I am not afraid to say it out loud – I am unique! Today I came across this post, written by Henry L Walton, author of the humorous steampunk book series, The Journals of Thaddeaus Shockpocket.
To blog or not to blog? My publisher says that it is imperative to blog. Much like the ‘publish or perish’ maxim in the academic world, the modern world of the author apparently requires a blog in order to maximize exposure. I wonder what it is that makes blogs so important or, more to the point, so popular in our current culture. Well, blogs that focus on specific topics like the latest cooking trends are a great source of practical information such as new recipes and ways to prepare dishes that otherwise are simply old and tired. Movie review blogs steer me to pictures that suit my particular interests and book review blogs do similar for my reading selections.
But what about all those other blogs? Those that simply chronicle someone’s activities or their random thoughts on arbitrary topics with no rhyme or reason as to why they chose that subject matter for the day. Why are they so popular? Is it because we are voyeuristic by nature and get some degree of pleasure by sitting at a screen and reading of another person’s activities and thoughts without actually having to interact with them? Or is it that we take comfort in hearing of other people’s misadventures and reading the sordid details of their dysfunctional families and strange proclivities that make our own dysfunctional families and insane thoughts seem almost normal by comparison.
Yes, that must be it. Often are days when I think the other members of my family are certifiably crazy, my own behavior a tich off kilter, and my life a comedy of errors, but then I read blogs and take comfort in the knowledge that my world, while not exactly perfect, is certainly more normal than that of others.
Then again, what is normal? One dictionary defines it as, ‘conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal’. Not abnormal? And what is abnormal defined as? Not normal. Okay, that cinches it. Normal does not mean anything. It is a construct to make people feel a part of a group. A way of identifying and segregating the ‘others’. Behave as we say and you will be deemed normal. Deviate from our standards and you are abnormal. It is really just part of a clan mentality. We find comfort in grouping with others that hold the same interests. Those within a group of similar types are, by definition, normal. But to outsiders, they are probably abnormal. You can read the whole article here.
……….
I totally agree, I have written several articles about this fact, that normal does not mean anything – it is a feeling that you belong to a group with other people like you – a feeling that makes you feel good and safe. Other than that, we are not normal, we are unique! This I have known since I went with diapers and you have probably to – but then society tells us the opposite.
The community does not want us to be independent, free thinking human beings – the society wants us to be a benefit to society, to be streamlined so that we can be a good resource for the community rather than ourselves, for that is the normal thing to do, right? – and then we die.
This is also the reason, I believe, that people follow bloggers, also bloggers with nothing else to offer than themselves, their normal and boring life. People don´t follow for the content’s sake – often these bloggers are quite vain, but because they are doing something unusual: they tell us about their normal life!
The fact that these bloggers so openly tell us about their lives, their very normal lives – and think that this is of interest for others – is also quite unusual, at least it was unusual before 2017. So then people, not me of course, because I am not normal and never will be, follow normal people’s normal life, simply because they offer us a sneak peek into their dreary lives – which is an abnormal thing to do. And what does this tell us?
Well, remember this: We are born unique – we just have to get back to ourselves. And when we find our true selves – we might, believe it or not, find an exceptionally exciting “I” in ourselves, yes, so extraordinarily – that to peek at other normal people’s boring life is just that, and nothing else – boring.
We were born unique – be that unique person:-)
Trude Helen Hole, New Spirit Communication
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