Saturday, June 4, 2011

What's Normal?

       I overhead someone respond to the question, How are you? The person said, "normal", whatever that means. That one word started thoughts ping ponging through my head. What does normal mean? Is it the same normal of 20 years ago? If normal is relative, does this mean it changes over time?
      Let's consider what we know as normal. It use to mean marriage was between a man and a woman.
Adults would be the ones raising children, not children raising children. Showing respect for the older generation was a given.  Normal was attending school every day and graduating. Being out in the evening meant coming home by eleven, not leaving to go out at that time. Going to work and being on time was expected. A major normal expectation was having the same job for umpteemth years and retiring from there. These days, you go to work and maybe by noon you are escorted out of the office along with several others. The company had to "restructure, downsize, become more efficient:", and whatever other term you want to use. I am sure there are other examples of "normal." Can you add another one? By the way, is that normal to ask such a question?

4 comments:

  1. What's normal today?

    Normal is putting your hands out and asking, "What's in it for me?"

    Normal is taking your fourth grader to an R-rated movie.

    Normal is dressing your nine-year old daughter just like you...and you're dressed to go to the late night club.

    Normal is blaming the teacher--each teacher--year after year after year, claiming it's always the teachers, it's never your son/daughter.

    Normal is anything goes. The boundaries are gone.

    Normal is "Me, me, me!"

    (Sorry. I'll stop now.)

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  2. Being worried is normal.

    Being broke is normal.

    Unfortunately!

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  3. Wow, Sioux, you're on a roll.
    Unfortunately, you are right, Sandie.

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  4. I'm with Sioux. My commentary is, SAD, it makes me wonder what the next generation will be like. Boundaries, what's that?

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