In today’s society, being normal is an aspiration to fit in with people, to follow the rules of our society, and to live under the standards that we created for ourselves. Normalcy is often correlated with predictability and conformity. But we live in a world that is constantly evolving. We live in a world that being considered ordinary and normal is seen as unorthodox because of the uniqueness that is within everyone. Adhering to the standards that our society has placed on people can now be seen as unorthodox, because who truly wants to just be normal?
To be normal can mean many different things. One person may fit into the standards of what it is like to be normal in Saskatchewan, Canada, but then someone can fit into the standards of what it is like to be normal in Tokyo, Japan. There is a difference in normalcy all across the world, so we cannot determine what it is truly like to be normal. We can go back in time and see what it is like to be normal, but we can also go into the future and see those standards change. The unorthodox thing about being normal is that it is never the same thing. It is forever changing and flowing into something new. An example of changing norms is that today it is completely normal for children to go to school and learn how to divide or write an essay. But during the Industrial Revolution, it was normal for children to work in coal mines, being severely underpaid. The way that normalcy is constantly shifting into different forms can never be replicated by one person. If one person was to keep changing themselves to fit in, that would be seen as unorthodox, because why are we changing ourselves to fit in?
The expectations to be normal is something that is continuing this unorthodox need to fit in. Many people are burdened into conforming to a typical lifestyle, and these expectations are harmful to our unique personalities. The common phrase “Be yourself” is something that everyone has heard thousands of times, but we are still expected to fit in, which creates a paradox between the expectations of distinctiveness and being generic. It is inherently unorthodox to adhere to the expectations of being normal, because the only thing it accomplishes is losing the special qualities of oneself. The desire to fit in is so common in today’s society, but it is an imposition to fit in. We must not conform to the general ideas that our society creates so we can all be the same. It is so unorthodox to try and be bland and boring, because the expectations of blandness and being boring is something detrimental to us.
In an era of rapid change, the expectations to be normal and fit in must change. We are becoming a diverse society where nobody is the same, and since we are all so unique and different, being normal is likely more unorthodox than being different. In a world that is constantly challenging the idea of normalcy, we must all ignore this unorthodox idea of being normal, and embrace the uniqueness of our individuality.
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