Being Abnormal In An Abnormal World
“Normality is a crowdsourced fantasy.”
-Sean Lionadh
Normal doesn’t change anything. It just is. It’s an everyday occurrence. It’s that morning routine you follow. Or the weird things you do to get to sleep. Normality simply brings routine to your mundane life. But while it may offer a good dose of consistency, it won’t change anything.
In fact, that’s the whole point of consistency.
After a decent period of time, the consistent drone of life will feel draining. You’ll grow restless as the world moves on without you. Your feet will begin to itch while your mind conjures up hope in the form of new ideas. It’s at this moment where you need to be abnormal.
And look, you may think that you’re going against the grain of life, but here’s a truth bomb:
Nothing in life is actually normal
This world is not a normal place. In fact, it’s quite abnormal. No human tradition is the same for everybody — from falling in love to going to the bathroom. So your preconceived ideas of normality are just a waste of time.
You’ve created a life that revolves around your own personal standards; you’ve normalised nearly everything you do. And most of the time this is important — especially morning and evening routines. Because familiarity can prevent a plethora of mental health problems.
But there are times in your life where you’ve changed. Mostly they are small changes, like randomly getting into herbal teas. And then there are those earth-shattering changes like moving interstate and pursuing new careers. Whatever the change was, you would have wandered through abnormality to get there, hoping to reach a new level of normality. As if there is such a thing.
Being abnormal in an abnormal world
Right now, the world is going through a global pandemic. And every country in the world is affected by this deeply abnormal moment. We’ve changed our very way of lives, from the wearing of masks to washing our hands more regularly. On top of this, major events have been postponed, disrupting our vibrant social lives. And in the midst of it all, we’re stuck with a conundrum:
How do we survive this moment without going insane?
There are two schools of thought on this: Some will say develop a routine and stick to it while others implore you to do something different. My advice? Balance it out with both. Find comfort in the familiar and cathartic release in the strange and extraordinary. Stick to your routines while allowing leeway for trivialised pursuits. Dare to be different, as they say.
And keep this in mind when the world goes back to a more standard abnormality. When your weeks feel structured and your days feel the same. When the drone of life is simply stringing you along.
Keep in mind that you can’t always be doing the same thing every day. Because that’s just not normal.
Originally published at http://thegaystraighttalker.com on August 9, 2020.
