I Never Really Fit In.
Ever.
When I was Young I always felt like an Outcast.
While most Kids wanted to play with other Kids, I wanted to Hang Out with Adults.
When I was in High School, I was able to Hang Out in Any Group.
But I Never Really Felt like I "Belonged" to Any of those Groups.
I could hang out with...
The Jocks.
The Nerds.
The Uber-Nerds.
The Asians.
The African Americans.
The Hispanics.
The Smokers.
The Outsiders.
The Preps.
The Readers.
The Rockers.
The Artists.
Any of the Groups Accepted Me and they All Treated me like a Friend.
Yet I Never Felt like I Belonged.
I was always...
Abnormal.
When I was Younger that was always a Terrifying Thought.
I wanted to be "Normal" in some sense...
Yet Everywhere I Turned, I always Discovered I was Abnormal.
Members from One Group always Hated Members from Another Group.
Some were Mean Reasons.
Others Felt Justified.
Some Groups Fought Each Other, Literally.
Yet, I could Slip in and Out and No One Cared if I had been with Another Group.
They didn't really Understand How "I" Could Tolerate the Other Group of Course.
Yet, I Did.
Honestly, I Did Not Really Understand It Either.
How Could I Move Between Groups that Hated Each Other, Yet They Didn't Care?
How Could I Both Be Accepted Yet Feel Like I Did Not Belong?
How Could I Be A Friend in Both Groups, Yet They Were Enemies?
Things did not Change Later in Life Either.
To this Day I Still Feel Abnormal.
Despite the Fact that I'm an Extrovert, I Still Do Not Feel I Belong in Any Group.
I have Friends and Colleagues and Peers from Every Walk of Life.
Different Political Backgrounds.
Different Religious Backgrounds.
Different Economic Backgrounds.
Different Career Backgrounds.
Many who I Deeply Respect and Enjoy Being Around.
Many who would Probably Attack Each Other if I put them in the Same Room Together.
All of Whom, Despite Everything, I still Feel Absolutely Abnormal Around.
When I was Young, the Idea of "Still" Feeling Abnormal...
Feeling like I "Still" Did Not Belong Anywhere...
It would have been Disheartening at the Very Least.
But, Today, I See the World Differently.
Am I Abnormal?
Yes.
I Am.
I am Different from the Norm.
What I was Afraid of in the Past I Now Realize...
Is Actually an Incredible Power.
I can See the Best in All Parties...
The Truth is that Nearly Everyone I Meet is a Good Human...
Some of them it takes a "Bit" of Digging to Find, but it is Usually There.
Simultaneously, I can see the Challenges All Face.
I Find that, often what Separates Groups is Far Less than We Imagine.
Yet, the Challenges We Face are Very Similar.
Solving Things in One Group Tends to Solve Them in the Other as Well.
We Treat Each Other as Enemies...
Yet, Often What Causes Our Challenges are Not People.
Not Directly Anyhow.
If we Came Together as Allies, We Would See Where the Problems Truly Existed.
Then, we would Solve Them Far More Easily.
Which Brings me to Why I Embrace being Abnormal Today...
There is a Quote that Hits at the Core...
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Jiddu Krishnamurti
What is Considered "Normal" Today is Frequently Not Really Beneficial to Us as People.
Not Beneficial to Our Health.
Not Beneficial to Our Wellbeing.
Not Beneficial to Our Human Potential.
When "Normal" is Not Good for Us...
Then We "Should" Become Abnormal.
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