What is Normal?

I'm sorry about not posting in awhile, I'm really not even sure if anyone is reading this. What I wanted to talk about in this post is the concept of being normal. I've never really been sure what normal means. I think it's really just a set of standards that society has set up to dictate who is doing what society believes is good and who isn't. This kind of thinking disturbs me in a way.

I do realize that if society didn't set certain standards for people, then there would be complete chaos. I guess where I differ on the concept of what is normal, is when it prevents people from expressing their ideas or beliefs, at least those ideas of beliefs that don't harm themselves or others. In my life I adhere to the laws of the land, because if I don't I'll most likely end up in jail. I don't agree with some of the laws the land places on me, but I follow them because I choose to live in this land.

It's wrong to expect others to change their ideas to suit my way of life. I really must adapt my way of life to suit their ideas. That means that even though I might not agree with the enforced norms of society, there is still an obligation on my part to do what I must to obey those norms, if I choose to live here. However, that doesn't mean that I can't live my life on my own terms. Perhaps I've read Walden too many times, but I certainly agree with some of the concepts of passive resistance. If I disagree with a law and feel that it's wrong, then by no means should I obey that law if it causes me to harm others or myself. This is where being normal becomes an unpleasant part of my life.

There are certain things we are supposed to aspire to, for instance many people think having a car, a home, a spouse, and 2.5 kids is supposed to be the norm. In this example, there's no reason I need to aspire to this, because there is no harm caused to others or myself if I don't have these things. However if I choose to have these things and find that I'm not happy because it's become a daily grind, then I've put myself in a situation where I've allowed society's expectations to dictate my own behavior.

That doesn't mean once I have the car, the home, the spouse, and the kids that I have a right to up and leave, rather I need to accept that I've made some decisions that ended up making me unhappy and come up with some kind of solution that might bring me happiness, a solution that doesn't harm those people whom I'm responsible for.

I've always tried to look at the end result of an action, rather than allow morals or concepts of sin to direct my life. In the same way I look at what society dictates as being normal and make a decision whether or not I want to follow those expectations. If I look at what's expected of me and find that it will harm me or others, then I'm not going to do those things.

Perhaps the most important thing I can do is examine what's expected of me and decide for myself whether or not it's what I should be doing. That includes what's expected of me as a man, brother, father, friend, and son. I need to learn to examine the actions, rather than the expectations. I need to quit focusing on what everyone wants me to be and rather what I should be.

I don't know if this makes sense, but if you have some input, I'd love to hear it.