Are You Normal? Well I’m not! And I’m Proud of It!
I was considered normal as long as I was walking the road of life according to what others decided for me. But from the day, I started following my own heart, people around me (yes my parents too) started considering me not-normal ( just because abnormal sounds too rude). How can a normal person (according to them), leave academics after passing out from two of the finest institutions of our country ( read ‘Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission’ & ‘Shibpur BE College’)? How can a normal Bengali boy decide to start own business instead of going for MNC / Govt. jobs? ( Don’t you know that God declared in an ancient pamphlet “Bongs can’t do business”?)
Proud of Being Not-normal
You know I actually enjoy not being normal. I feel a bit proud too. Why? Read about the lives of every great persons ever born on earth. You’ll find that most people around them used to consider them as not-normal. Want some examples?
- A guy Steve Jobs dropped out of college & decided to build something called computer. Okay he became famous with some iThis & iThat stuffs. But suddenly got kicked out of his own company. Not-normal!
- Another guy Bill Gates dropped out of another famous college (read about how his parents reacted if you can find) & build some door na Window software that has become the most popular OS today. Not-normal.
- You must have heard of Gandhi? The half-naked old man with a stick who fought British guns with non violence? Definitely not normal.
- That writer Tagore? Didn’t go to school, never shaved. Noticed his long beard? Yee not-normal!
- What about Dhirubhai Ambani? The stupid boy who used to clean ship decks & then used to go to 5 star hotel to drink tea. Totally not-normal.
- Sachin??? When most of the cricketers were close relatives of bamboo trees, this dwarf entered the game. (And changed the game forever). Not-normal cricketer height.
- … ah! Can’t you fill up some more examples? ( Let me know in the comment section)
So isn’t it cool being not-normal?
What is normal btw?
In my words being ‘normal’ means
conforming to the expectations of society or people around you.
But luckily I came across this list in the book The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho (My favorite author!),
What is NORMAL now a days:
( I hope I am not violating the copyright by sharing the content here. You can get the book from Flipkart Amazon if you want)
- Anything that makes us forget who we are and what we want; that way we can work in order to produce, reproduce, and earn money.
- Setting out rules for waging war (the Geneva Convention).
- Spending years studying at university only to find out at the end of it all that you’re unemployable.
- Working from nine till five every day at something that gives you no pleasure just so that, after thirty years, you can retire.
- Retiring and discovering that you no longer have enough energy to enjoy life and dying a few years out of sheer boredom.
- Using Botox.
- Believing that power is much more important than money and that money is much more important than happiness.
- Making fun of anyone who seeks happiness rather than money and accusing them of “lacking ambition.”
- Comparing objects like cars, houses, clothes, and defining life according to those comparisons, instead of trying to discover the real reason for being alive.
- Never talking to strangers. Saying nasty things about the neighbors.
- Believing that your parents are always right.
- Getting married, having children, and staying together long after all love has died, saying that it’s for the good of the children (who are, apparently, deaf to the constant rows).
- Criticizing anyone who tries to be different.
- Waking up each morning to a hysterical alarm clock on the bedside table.
- Believing absolutely everything that appears in print.
- Wearing a scrap of colored cloth around your neck, even though it serves no useful purpose, but which answers to the name of “tie.”
- Never asking a direct question, even though the other person can guess what it is you want to know.
- Keeping a smile on your lips even when you’re on the verge of tears. Feeling sorry for those who show their feelings.
- Believing that art is either worth a fortune or worth nothing at all.
- Despising anything that was easy to achieve because if no sacrifice was involved, it obviously isn’t worth having.
- Following fashion trends, however ridiculous or uncomfortable.
- Believing that all famous people have tons of money saved up.
- Investing a lot of time and money in external beauty and caring little about internal beauty.
- Using every means possible to show that, although you’re just an ordinary human being, you’re far above other mortals.
- Never looking anyone in the eye when you’re traveling on public transport, in case it’s interpreted as a sign that you’re trying to get off with them.
- Standing facing the door in an elevator and pretending you’re the only person there, no matter how crowded it is.
- Never laughing too loudly in a restaurant no matter how good the joke.
- In the northern hemisphere, always dressing according to the season: bare arms in spring (however cold it is) and woolen jacket in winter (however hot it is).
- In the southern hemisphere, covering the Christmas tree with fake snow even though winter has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.
- Assuming, as you grow older, that you’re the guardian of the world’s wisdom, even if you haven’t necessarily lived enough to know what’s right and wrong.
- Going to a charity tea party and thinking that you’ve done your bit toward putting an end to social inequity in the world.
- Eating three times a day even if you’re not hungry.
- Believing that other people are always better than you–better-looking, more capable, richer, more intelligent–and that it’s very dangerous to step outside your own limits, so it’s best to do nothing.
- Using your car as a weapon and impenetrable armor.
- Swearing when in heavy traffic.
- Believing everything your child does wrong is entirely down to the company he or she keeps.
- Marrying the first person who offers you a decent position in society. Love can wait.
- Always saying, “I tried” when you didn’t really try at all.
- Postponing doing the really interesting things in life for later, when you don’t have the energy.
- Avoiding depression with large daily doses of television.
- Believing that you can be sure of everything you’ve achieved.
- Assuming that women don’t like football and that men aren’t intersted in home decorating and cooking.
- Blaming the government for all the bad things that happen.
- Thinking that being a good, decent, respectable person will mean that others will see you as weak, vulnerable, and easy to manipulate.
- Being equally convinced that aggression and rudeness are synonymous with having a “powerful personality.”
- Being afraid of having an endoscopy (if you’re a man) and giving birth (if you’re a woman).
I hope you get the angle of humor that is USP (Unique Selling Point) of Paulo Coelho’s writings. :p
Don’t pretend to be normal
Come on yaar! Don’t give in to the pressure of society or people around you. Don’t pretend to be someone who you are not, just to be accepted as ‘normal’.
- If you love someone of same sex, don’t destroy two lives by marrying someone of opposite sex.
- If you don’t like to study some subjects, don’t. But devote yourself to something you love in that time.
- If you don’t like doing Job, don’t get into one or quit. You can earn money doing what you love.
- If you want to be a programmer/ artist / … don’t join your father’s business.
- …. …. …. (add your own list)
Life is too valuable to waste living a lie. I know it will not be easy. People (even your closed ones) might make your life hell. But tell me, how would you feel at the last moment of your life? You can take guarantee of only yourself to be present there. Can you forgive yourself if you choose today ‘being normal’ instead of ‘being yourself’?
That’s all I want to tell you today. Let me know what you think.
