How often do we hear people comment, “well that’s just not normal”, when what they really mean is it wouldn’t be normal for them.
To quote Charles Addams “normal is an illusion, what’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly”
As a biologist I am very aware of the dangerous waters that can be travelled by referring to something or some biological process as “normal”. At a minimum things may be referred to as a normal range but even that will come with a vast array of caveats relating to environment, diet, and a multitude of other factors. In my day job far better to refer to things as healthy which when you think about it is something we readily accept may mean different things to different people.
The danger of normal is that it by definition causes exclusion for that which differs. In the modern world with the internet swamping people with images of what is supposedly “normal” it is little wonder we have large numbers of young people overcome with self doubt and feeling excluded.
You look different, you are not normal.
You sound different, you are not normal.
Your music tastes are different you are not normal.
You wear different clothes, you are not normal.
You have a disability, you are not normal.
But the reality is you are normal for you.
Each of us is unique. Each of us will have likes, dislikes, health and life experiences which will shape us as an individual. It can be hard when you are young to be proud and confident of who you are. As someone who had medical conditions that made me different I know that feeling of just wanting to be “normal”. But here in my fifties I am finally getting to the point where I am confident with just being me and accepting that “hey that’s just normal for me, like it or lump it”.
