Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Follow up

I have gotten a lot of feedback to my last post and that's exactly what I wanted from it. Although it was a story through my eyes, the post wasn't supposed to be taken literal as much as thought provoking. I mean of course at the time I was thinking "hmm... that man is odd", but i didn't see these people as much abnormal as i saw them intriguing. Is it human nature to try to blend in? Be part of the "normal population"? Then we get to the question, what really is normal? Is it how the majority of people act? Is it trying not to bring attention to yourself? Is it just the brain-child of society?

Like my friend Aaron said, " You can't have white without black"
Does this mean abnormal people wouldn't exist with out normal people?

So now that we've tried to go into "What is abnormal?" let us now talk about the normal. The normal housewife might cook and clean for her family. Make sure her kids are taken care of. Give her husband a back rub when he comes home from his "hard day at work". What is the point of routine really? Some false feeling of security? Or is it just that people are too scared to live out of societies expectations of them? Of course there are people that jumped out of this box though. There are artists, musicians, activists, scientists. Some of these people dedicated their lives to fighting against the fabric of society and breaking boundaries.

These people are special. They had the guts to do what the average population didn't. How does that make you feel? Maybe it's not that great just to be the silent one in the yoga class. At least that guy didn't care what people think of him. He was just enjoying it to his fullest.

Are abnormal people putting on a show or are they just free spirited? Having those crazy feelings to break out your best dance moves in public? Hey, we might not have seen the funky chicken since that sixth grade dance.... so what? Break the boundaries that society has created. Push the limits of the human mind. If you want to sing that favorite little mermaid song then why the hell not? Belt it out with pride. Maybe you'll even inspire another blogger like me into exploring the human mind.

Be bizzare. We only have one life to act on whim. Wear that technicolor jacket. Do that cartwheel in the hallway. Skip down the streets. Jump in that huge puddle.

You don't have to be that creepy guy in the short-shorts or the groaner from yoga in order to be memorable, in order give people excitment, or to make life worth living. There's always going to be those people that sneer at your goofiness. They look down on you because you don't act just like them.What right do they have to think they're the authority. That humans are supposed to act like them and not you?

Just don't let others rule your life because they make you feel abnormal.
Have fun.
Why not?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Why the hell do people act the way they do?

Recently, this question has been going through my head frequently. Bizarre people are everywhere and they seem to be either totally oblivious or just used to the way they are. Maybe I'm totally crazy in public as well and just don't realize it? I hope not.

I'd start out by explaining my trips to the gym. If you've never been to the gym before, I'll tell you now, its full of freaks. There's the women in a full face of makeup and designer gym clothes. There are the giant-like body builders that stare into the mirrors and watch their veins pulse as the lift enourmous weights. There's the creepy pale guy in the short-shorts that almost always seems to be waiting for me when I get to the gym and greets me with a smile and a lick of the lips. Does this make me feel incredibly uncomfortable? Of course! Does he realize this? Of course! Does he get some kind of sick pleasure out of this? I'm not even going to answer that one. I just don't get how people can be so openly weird and creepy. Does he realize he's not normal?

I'd like to introduce you to another fellow gym goer. This is the man that's always groaning the loudest during yoga class. The one that's breathing so hard that it might be mistaken for an orgasm. Last week during one of the harder poses he started groaning "Oh stop it! Oh stop it!" and the class couldn't help but break out into laughter. This man does not cease groaning, moaning, panting, muttering, yelling out in pain during the whole hour and a half of what's supposed to be my spiritual healing time. Instead i have my foot behind my head wondering why the hell this guy thinks it's normal to be doing what he's doing. I mean yeah we're all breathing hard but doesn't he hear the snickers going around every time he moans? Of course it's great entertainment but does he realize he's the object of ridicule in our class?

As I leave class I come across the over-enthusiastic public shouter. Unlike the yoga groaner, and creepy short shorts guy, this man looks like he has the possibility of being normal if just looking at his appearance. Unfortunately, I was very mistaken because as soon as I enter the main part of the gym this man starts shouting "I LOVE THIS CLASS. THIS IS MY FAVORITE CLASS. I WANNA TANGO! I WANNA DO THE MERRRRENGUE!" His boisterous shouting and carefully trilled r's told me that once again, I had come across another one of those "abnormal" people. Apperently he was looking in on a spanish dancing class and started excitedly explaining to me how much he enjoyed the wonders of spanish dancing and started doing the salsa around me. I was starting to think that this wasn't just an avid dancer but that he had this kind of enthusiasm in front of strangers about many things.

Now I want to tell you, in no way am I fabricating these people. They are all around us and apparently they have all seemed to have crossed my path in one gym visit. Even though the gym might be a magnet to all types of interesting people, I have observed abnormal people in all sorts of places. Remember the kid that never says anything and always seems to be picking his nose in the back of your math class? That obnoxious girl that is addicted to attention the way a crack whore likes her crack? The odd looking person at the grocery store that just seems to be following you from aisle to aisle?

Notice these people. Observe these people. Think about these people.

Maybe you are one of these people.