Normal?

So, just what is 'Normal'?

What do we usually mean by 'Normal'?

By most peoples definition it means that he or she is like everyone else, behaves as most people behave, and stays within current conventions.
Psychologists state that it is; Free from any mental disorder; sane.

I've often said, "The only people who truly scare me are the ones that say they are normal."

I don't know about most people, but I don't want to be like, or act like current conventions. I don't want to be 'Normal'.

More and more I am seeing current conventions change into a behavior pattern that just freaks me out. I've spent a bunch if time since the advent of the internet on many different chat rooms and email lists on subjects ranging from NASCAR to religion to sex to blacksmithing. I can't even count the number of times I've seen rudeness, belligerence, crassness, effrontery, blame and flaming on these forums that I had to give them up.

It was said that it happened on the internet because of anonymity, because of being disconnected to the person you are speaking to and that most of the time it started through a simple misunderstanding due to the one dimensional nature of words written in this medium. OK, I sort of understand that. So why did it become 'Normal' to disagree with someone by calling them a dirt sucking Nazi warthog fagot!

So why is it happening more and more with the actual spoken word on the street and in the house now? Little by little I've seen this prevalence creep into everyday communication by people on the streets in real life. It became so 'Normal' for people to flame anything they disagreed with on the internet that the behavior didn't take very long at all to jump into real life person to person communication.

Over the last eight years my willingness to share anything about my thoughts has diminished to the point where it scares the bloody hell out me to give my point of view or opinion on any subject anymore. I used to be told that I could put into words what other people could only conceptualize. That I could talk a starving dog off a meat wagon. And most of all that I had the ability to listen to and understand what other people were saying to me.

Not any more, I don't like talking to other people about anything meaningful unless I know them very well and feel safe with them. I've been told I'm NOT 'Normal' because I could communicate feelings and thoughts in depth, with compassion, understanding and empathy for differences in people and their opinion. I've been told I must be a sissy or mama's boy to be able to talk about emotions.

It's taken me a while now to understand something about myself and why I've been so depressed lately. I don't like not being able to communicate. It feels like I have mental constipation all the time.

So if being able to give my opinions, and feelings openly and honestly with compassion and understanding of differences means I'm not normal, then I don't want to be normal. This blog is my attempt to create a safe place for me to do that.

I welcome others thoughts, opinions, feelings, criticisms and even disagreements. I don't welcome any flaming judgmentalism, it will be deleted.

So how do you feel about 'Normality'? Why?

What does 'Normal' mean to you?

Do you think you are 'Normal'? Why?

Do you want to be 'Normal'?