Laura sent me a pretty good article on Normality? I have a few thoughts that I’ll point out amongst the post. This was good timing after I made my post about my inadequacy. The points they are making is that these things have become “normal.” I also think this guy lives in his own Utopia.

Spending years at university and then not being able to find a job.
Getting a job out of college isn’t guaranteed but gives you a better chance than being uneducated.

Working from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon at something that does not give us the least pleasure, so that we can retire after 30 years.
This is “normal” because not working and living your dreams finds you starving and living in a box.

Retiring only to discover that we have no more energy to enjoy life, and then dying of boredom after a few years.
Make enough money when your young to retire early. No one says getting old is better than being young.

Trying to be financially successful instead of seeking happiness.
To quote a lyric by Silverchair “You say that money, isn’t everything,
But I’d like to see you live without it.” Money is a means to happiness. Ask people who are in debt and don’t try to be financially successful if they are happy. Or if they’d be happier if they didn’t have to worry about money. Notice the word “worry”.

Comparing objects like cars, houses and clothes, and defining life according to these comparisons instead of really trying to find out the true reason for being alive. Material goods don’t define happiness. How big your house is or what car your drive doesn’t make you happy. Finding out the purpose of life isn’t easy to answer and only the short sighted think money = purpose.

Being convinced that all the famous people have tons of money – I don’t know where this one comes from because it’s fairly well documented that celebrities are train wrecks.

Investing a lot in exterior beauty and paying little attention to interior beauty. – I think I’m at fault of this when it comes to females. I worry about looks over personality and it’s pretty shallow. Deep down though I know the what’s important.

Using all possible means to show that even though you are a normal person, you are infinitely superior to other human beings. Comparing yourself to your peers is only natural. To say infinitely superior is probably over stating but making yourself feel valuable is obviously something humans tend to do as “normal”. What good is it to think of yourself as a worthless turd?

In any kind of public transport, never looking straight into the eyes of the other passengers, as this may be taken for attempting to seduce them. I have a problem with looking people I know in the eyes.

When in an elevator, looking straight at the door and pretending you are the only person inside, however crowded it may be. – Small talk with people you most likely will never see again doesn’t seem important to me.

In the Northern hemisphere, always wearing the clothes that match the season of the year: short sleeves in springtime (however cold it may be) and a woolen jacket in the fall (no matter how warm it is). – This is called dressing to the weather. This is normal.

Eating three times a day, even when not hungry. – Eating 3 meals feels healthy, not not normal.

Using foul language in traffic. – People tend to be exposed as idiots on the road. This induces foul language.

Marrying the first person who offers a position in society. Love can wait. – I’ve never had this issue. I’m not sure what type of people do this. Trophy wives and gold diggers come to mind.

Blaming the government for everything bad that happens. – They waste a lot of money and seem to do everything because of money.

Being convinced that being a good, decent and respectful person means that the others will find you weak, vulnerable and easy to manipulate. – I’d like to think I’m all of the above and I don’t think that makes you easy to run over.

Being convinced that aggressiveness and discourtesy in treating others are signs of a powerful personality. – I know people like this.

And finally, thinking that your religion is the sole proprietor of the absolute truth, the most important, the best, and that the other human beings in this immense planet who believe in any other manifestation of God are condemned to the fires of hell. – I don’t believe in God.

My final thought on this is that normal is different to everyone. Understanding that things normal to you aren’t always going to be normal to other people helps you become a better person. I’d like to think I’m as normal as they come but that’s all relative to me.