Today's writing is, "It's Okay To Be Weird":
I'm not sure I've ever fit in properly with society. For a long time I made the attempt, but I don't think I ever fooled anybody. Going along with societal norms was always rather awkward for me, and even my attempts to fit into the countercultures didn't really work. I was perpetually stuck in some sort of cultural limbo where I never really fit in to any specific groups. Individuals I could connect to, but I always had difficulty with groups.
Throughout the experience there was a word that followed me around, I didn't want to identify with it, but people sure liked to use it to define me. That word is "weird" and when I was trying to fit in with society, it hurt when people called me that. It meant I had failed in my attempts to fit in. Now I don't see the word with such a negative connotation, heck, it's more of a compliment now. It means I'm not a conformist, I don't just ignorantly follow the crowd. I like who I am and I don't try to hide my uniqueness.
Something I eventually recognized is that nobody ever really fits perfectly into any culture. This is why it was far easier for me to connect with individuals, because they could drop their pretenses and just be themselves. I didn't mean anything to society, my opinions didn't matter, so people could behave far more naturally around me without any fear of repurcussions. Everyone is unique, and what it means to be "normal" is just an ideal that only exists in the mind. Nobody really fits perfectly into cultural norms, it's just a mask they put on when dealing with others.
Link to the full version: http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/its-okay-be-weird
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Link to today's GFP newsletter: http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/gfp-newsletter-542014
