What is 'normal'?

[Terry]

Maybe we are actually SNAFU, which is military slang for 'Situation Normal, All Fouled Up' (actually,the word the military use is not 'fouled') - maybe that's what we are.  Maybe 'normal' people are SNAFAD - 'Situation Normal, All Fine and Dandy', or something. :0

[Terry]

Wow, this is what the weather is like in 'Normal, Illinois' at the moment:  -3°C, Wind S at 19 km/h, 86% Humidity - it's cold, i wonder if the temperature (-3 deg C) is above or below (you guessed it): NORMAL!  Ha!  (This is fun!)

[jist0508]

I kind of think of 'normal' as 'stable', or just not having a mental illness at all....

[ivana]

I don't like the term normal because often people build persona's in life to appear normal-ie:so as to be accepted and not be rejected or ostracised.Its a "social game" lol.

"Society" puts an excessive focus on 'being normal' due to fear.Some people (and that included doctors etc too) fear that if they don't display this persona that others could deem them as weird or in the group with the "abnormal people".

I think the real goal should not be normality but rather to be free of anything that cause imbalance in life.

Eg:if certain symptoms cause a disruption in a persons relationships,social functioning or work ability,then theyre an issue and want to get them "fixed" (if possible).

I think sometimes people use the term "normal" as a substitute word for 'healthy".

[Terry]

A friend of mine, who is a poet, wrote this:

"It has recently been postulated that ‘Normalcy’ will soon be recognised as a mental illness.  ‘Normalcy’ is a condition characterized by the belief held by an individual that he/she is in a population category called ‘normal’ and that everyone else is a freak.  People suffering from ‘Normalcy’ refuse to empathise with others they consider to be ‘non-normal’.  It is estimated that an overwhelming 97-98% of people suffer from ‘Normalcy’.  The suggested treatment for ‘Normalcy’ includes therapy designed to help the ‘normal’ person to identify with other individuals whom he/she regards as ‘non-normal’.  There is currently no suggested medication solution to ‘Normalcy’ as the prognosis for a full recovery from ‘Normalcy’ through therapy alone is excellent.  However, ‘Normalcy’ sufferers are typically heavily resistant to acknowledging that they have a problem and, thus, tend not to seek treatment.  It could be that the stigma associated with having such an embarrassing disorder discourages them from getting the help they need and it also seems likely that ‘Normalcy’ sufferers are fearful of becoming ‘non-normal’ through participating in a program of treatment. 

Much more study needs to be done on ‘Normalcy’ before a way can be found to persuade sufferers of this unusual disorder to seek the help they desperately need. 

Also, it can be difficult for the clinician to identify sufferers of ‘Normalcy’ in the first place, as there are no presenting symptoms excepting in circumstances where the ‘Normalcy’ sufferer believes he/she has identified a ‘non-normal’ individual.  That said, a simple process of interview is usually enough to identify sufferers of ‘Normalcy’ and the sheer size of the subject group at 98% of the population justifies an intense focus by mental health professionals on diagnosing and treating this highly-original disorder."

I think the message in the above is DON'T self-stigmatise!  Cheers 🙂

[Terry]

I just found this on the internet and it appealed to me for some reason.  From 'Winnie to Pooh' 🙂

The wonderful thing about tiggers
Is tiggers are wonderful things!
Their tops are made out of rubber
Their bottoms are made out of springs!
They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is
I'm the only one
Tiggers are cuddly fellas
Tiggers are awfully sweet
Ev'ryone el-us is jealous
That's why I repeat... and repeat

The wonderful thing about tiggers
Is tiggers are marvelous claps!
They're loaded with vim and vigor
They love to leap in your laps!
They're jumpy, bumpy, clumpy, thumpy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is
I'm the only one
I-I-I'm , the only... oof!
Ouch!

cheers!  i've got to go do the shopping now for my soiree and a copywriting job just came in too. i hope all are well and that i haven't upset anyone, and that maybe i have helped someone.  take and catch you all later.  god bless 🙂