Normal?

Normal, meaning being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average. The definition of this peculiar word has boggled people’s minds throughout the ages. This clears up the latter of this factual yet psychological topic. To begin with, as written above, what most people think of normal is what is expected to happen, or something ‘usual’. To take an example, people in 21st century America, India or the U.K live to an average of 75–76 years of age, this is what they would call ‘normal’, whereas if you spoke to centenarian families from the ‘blue zones’ of the world like Okinawa, their normal is 86–100 years.

Till about 2018, someone who wore a mask or protective gear on the road would have been called dumb, or odd. In the last two years however, humankind has experienced a drastic change, because what we call the COVID-19 pandemic arose. We began to experience and adapt to something new, and we redefined what we knew as normal. Throughout 2020 and to date, anyone who doesn’t wear a protective mask is considered dumb. Perceptions and people adapt, so does normality.

If it’s not clear now, the definition of normal changes constantly with different ways of life, meaning that often what we think is normal may be abnormal, or vice versa. This confusing word depends on human perceptions, culture, where they live and so much more. When you call someone weird, you call them that because they are different from what you’d expect, quirky maybe, but that’s only because of the way you live your life. To someone in another place, you might be the weirdest, because you don’t follow the regular stereotypes or behaviors of that area. There’s nothing wrong with being different, because in the end. We’re all different, and that’s what makes us human.