What is NORMAL; Why The Dictionaries Are A Tad Flawed | Teen Ink

What is NORMAL; Why The Dictionaries Are A Tad Flawed

February 22, 2021
By ProsPedro BRONZE, Calabar, Other
ProsPedro BRONZE, Calabar, Other
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

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Are you normal? Thrice have different people asked me that. Thrice have I also gone to browse through definitions of the word "Normal". Thrice also did I get dissatisfied with the partial explanatories.  

In the definitions these words are frequent: routine, standard, typical, expected, usual. And in them there is an anticipated conformity to those words. Provoked by my dissatisfaction with this interpretations, I would ask a few people on their views of normalcy. They too would reply with answers bearing semblances to this partial definitives.

 

About Standard: Who sets/creates them? Universally, it happens to be that those with authority do. And they do so with limiting expectations from their said subjects and deviations from that set "Code" equals to abnormalcy and disaccordance. Here there isn't much an issue since it's the constitute of associations for proper organisation but it's quite limiting on individual perceptions. 

When a rule is created, it is decided that the majorly preferred is to be the revered one. This way, the minor ideas are stashed, carelessly. And the minorities forced to adhere what they won't usually like. This is so much as the society we live in. There are expectations for how everyone should condone their selves in public, at parties, when about family etc. There's an unsaid but instinctive rule behind these, though. One must comport properly in public, dance and merry at parties, behave well when with family and so it goes.

 

Normalcy is never decided or believed to be subjective to individualistic perception of which it should, I think. Mostly, a person doesn't think consciously of theirself as been normal but is very quick to note deviations from their perceived "Code of normalcy" in another's activities. One who doesn't eat bread with mayonnaise is likely to see one who does so as not being normal. So normalcy is also dependent on preference.

 

Recently, my group of three friends plus I were having a discussion when one from us will then relate his latest travel into town to us. He told us of the problems during the journey, more especially the poor state of road such that the driver would be prompted not to use the "normal route". I would then ask him where the normal route is and why he thought it so. "Because that's the route I use everytime when coming here. It's also the most accessible one too." He said. I pondered on the detail for some time and would come to accept that frequency too should be a determiner for normalcy. If one is frequent towards an activity (routine) either deliberately or otherwise, the activity becomes normal to them with the phasing of time. A professional musician would not find the job of a doctor as normal to them if perchance there's a switch in places for a day, at least. What one is used to automatically becomes normal to them and any inflection or change of that order requires fresh frequency to aid adaptation.

 

Change is constant but with time. Such is also expected with the societal or cliched code on normalcy. Mutations are anticipated. People should also learn to respect the preference of others and not some almighty dictate. People should also learn that what's weird to them is actually a normal for some other person. And that what makes us really human is the possibility of free-will and our diversified and distinctive uniqueness.


The author's comments:

Over time, I'd question myself over what people thought as normal hence the reason for this piece. Personally, I broadened the societal scope of normalcy in to areas I thought needing consideration too.


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