Dear Readers,
I’m planning to do an inventory of normality.
I would like you to help me in listing what, in the view of society, is considered “normal” even if it may appear absurd to us.
Thank you for your collaboration on this little research of mine that I may use in a future column.
Love
Paulo
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absurd normality
1. current western standards of beauty in the fake ball-like breasts, the extra skinny and tall proportions that people have resorted to frightening surgeries to emulate.
2. that women are “Expected” to be poor in science and math subjects
3. that one is expected to lead the “Average life” of the 9 to 5, the retirement, the compromise of one's dreams
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one of the things that have come to my attention, is what is considered normal, is to be upset, busy or bored - hence when asking someone how are they…the normal response would be “oh i am really busy and this is not working out and I am so stressed out”. now i dont know if this is an australian thing, i lived in Sydney city, but my god when you reply to someone “that you are happy” when asked the question “how are you”….its considered normal here to say…”ooh who has made you so happy”….never a normal thought on society that you can make yourself happy.
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A Kiss :)
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Normalcy is happiness.
And one cannot be happy if he/she is overweight, broke, single, and un/underemployed.
Normalcy is a view through a very small lens.
Normalcy is a set of rules that one accepts. There is no such thing as society.
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It is normal to worry about what is normal.
It is also normal to criticize that which is considered normal.
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normale???
da queste parti (Roma - Italia) normale….è/sembra chi dice sempre SI…quando qualcuno si aspetta che dica quel SI.
io NON sono normale =) allora…
io dico SI…se lo penso, se lo sento…se credo sia giusto dirlo.
non mi importa dire NO se invece qualcuna si aspetta che dica SI
a me importa dei MIEI SI e dei MIEI NO =)quando li SENTO DENTRO DI ME…..
ciao Paulo..sei “niente male” nei tuoi libri ;)
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`Normal’ is a funny word. It is never objective and always subjective. What I consider normal, many in my immediate world and environment doesn’t. I think they are weird. And I am sure they think I am weird.
Most in my society think it is okay if your husband has an affair with another man, as long as it is not a woman. I think it is…hahahha!
Parents think it is okay for their children to be homosexuals as long as they are in the closet and carrying on living a normal life by marrying and having children….you know don’t break the gene-pool!
My society applauds women who live in an abusive, loveless marriage, for the sake of “the children”…I think it is strange to even think that…
I find it extremely abnormal for my society to think that women above 60 should not have any sexual feelings -ahem, grandmothers and sex are not compatible in my world…and i think it is so weird for one section of the society to decide what another person should think or feel.
I find it confusing when one religion calls another’s ways paganism but the same ways in their religion as prophetic revelations…well, as i said earlier, what is normal to you depends on where you stand.
Every religion, every faith, every religious text can be surmarised into two commandments -Love God. Do to others what you do unto yourself. And what I find extremely abnormal is to find that 90% of wars in the world are fought in the name of religion.
Bhudda shunned pomp and pagentry and most importantly idol worship. After his death we promptly made statues of the Bhudda in gold and silver and began worshipping him. Well, something doesn’t seem right there….don’t get me wrong, I love Buddha and the Dalai Lama and the Bhuddism, but can’t help but notice the contrast.
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I’ve always found it odd that people swear on a bible to tell the truth in court, most particularly if they’re not in any way religious.
I once worked for lawyers and asked them why they imagined that this would confine a person to truth telling …
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Belongingness…a travel is only a detour for home.
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Not to die….,physical OR mental.
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51. laughing at a joke (some people have SUCH self-control i don’t understand)
52. a healthy sex drive (*lol- healthy’s the word)
53. crying when you’re triggered
54. upset when you lose something, e.g. wallet; of course, probably applies to virginity too, especially at school
55. getting pissed off at an injustice
56. referring to truth as “her” (according to Tarek, appArently..?)
57. removing wisdom teeth when they appear
..well. GOOD LUCK then Paulo! lol. I will be MOST interested in your new piece, if, when it does come out! xx
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Hi Paulo,
I want to offer a different perspective. As an international security analyst, I would like to give you an insight into what is ‘normal’ in our world.
1: state security is paramount, even if human lives are the cost paid.
2: We have weapons that can cause unimaginable destruction, yet we feel safer when we possess them.
3: It is incorrect to talk about international security decisions as decisions of the individual leaders. George W Bush did not choose to go to war with Iraq, rather the US went to war.
4:Emotion or interpretation has no place in our analysis (please look up positivism) instead our SOCIAL world, but be analysed in scientific terms, through emprical data. Human action, process, even ideas must be omitted from all examinations. (Even if it is someone’s idea we must explore!)
These may not be helpful in any way, but hopefully they provide some insight…
Christina x
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It is “normal” to have a visa and passeport to travel abroad and stay in a country if you are a foreigner
It is “normal” that we kill animals to eat.
It is “normal” that some people are rich and some are poor.
It is “normal” for a women to be a mother.
It is “normal” for a man to be a warrior.
It is “normal” to possess more than we can.
It is “normal” to eat junk food.
It is “normal” to be healthy as well to be unhealthy.
It is “normal” that the life is hard for everyone on earth.
It is “normal” to accept that peace in the world Is not possible without fight.
It’s normal to think first of oneself and then to others.
Thank you…
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Il est normal de vivre, absurde de mourir
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If Love for you is Sex
If for you beauty can be touched
If fun for you is desire
If the world for you is your ego
If security is your life
If what the others think of you is what gives you your value
If you know God only when you need him
If God is part of your mask that you show to the others and remove it when you are alone
If you change your direction with each blow of the wind
If you accept the world like it is
If you do not ask God why.
If you know the truth but still don’t live her.
If you do not realize true love when it springs from your soul.
Then you are normal!!!!
But sorry I am not.
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so much has been written here, it seems it is easier to point out what is nort normal than to really get after things that are considered normal.
normal to me also seems like what iben writes. To be normal in our actions we are expected to do as others do, before doing anything to see what the majority is doing and then do accordinglly, be it studies, ambition etc etc. finally its considered normal to even see oneslef thru the eyes of others, that is even to know who or what we are, it’s normal to collect ten opinions of others on who i am and then the crux of it be taken as what i am by me, that is normal.
imagine a society where evryone is blind, teh concept of normality would be what there.
imanine a cociety where everyone is insane ( osho says we are all insane only to varying degrees, some people cross the boiling point and are taken to special places where some perfectlly sane people also may be langushing as paulo once was ) what would be the concept of normal there ?
sorry paulo could not add to what others have alreday listed, agree with kathleen, yagna and most others here who are all ‘abnormal’ in their own way - it’s better to be oneslef, even if it’s branded as being abnormal !
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A wheel turning question and a truly exciting read so far. Thank you for facilitating this, Paolo.
I almost didn’t write back, because my thoughts seem to be so instable in the last months, and if I cannot provide something of value what would really be the point? Maybe just writing it…
It seems that it’s normal for people to have/show a clear direction of their train of thoughts, a clear vision on how life is/should be. It’s normal to hide any major uncertainties/ confusions in life from the ones close to us.
It seems normal to give “expert” advices on life/love and is considered abnormal to just admit that maybe you haven’t found an answer yet or just don’t know.
It seems normal to admire role-models we know very little about based on a single side of them or a single action. Funny, based on that, it seems normal to teach our children to look more outside of themselves on bits and pieces of others that they’re trying to emulate instead of looking more into themselves.
It seems normal for women to be judged on sexual past and for men to be praised for the same thing.
It seems normal for people to be jaded about love. Sadly, it seems normal for jaded people to feel the need to ‘warn’ anybody who might still hope or believe in real love.
It seems normal to need a complete connection on every level of our being: mind, body, spirit.
It seems normal to assume that because we know more in this day and age we’re actually smarter. We put it on our business cards. We search for it when we’re hiring for a “leadership position”. I have two degrees, several other designations, a passion for learning, and I still make life-basic mistakes, and there are so many days in which I feel just a “smart-looking idiot”.
It seems normal for me to push him away for both our sake and for him to stay away. Months ago I would have never thought I could do anything to hurt a person I deeply love, but it’s amazing how now it seems so normal. Conscious and normal. Is it normal to keep people away to protect them? Seems normal.
With respect,
Anlao
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Oh! Paulo…you are such a lucky man….so many wonderful people bombarding you with their ideas… can you ask for anything more “normal” than this ?? No point in envying you eh!!
Its most normal to follow the daily activities of icons like you.
And tht’s wht all of us normal people are doing ……by responding to you ;)
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