Normal: the most pervasive human disease
Transcript from a video by Kyle Cease (I think? - literally just bumped into it in my notes app - stored there 2 years ago come May š - am pairing it here with one of my favorite Seuss quotes)
"Underneath your business casual attire, youāre all just a bunch of naked weirdos.
A lot of our unique weirdness is exactly what we were shamed the most for when we were children
Definitely my childhood. I looked at how I was weird and was like āwow this is a terrible curseā I actually experienced pain for my uniqueness.
Itās human nature. Like āow that hurtā
I expressed my weirdness, I got rejected, I will not do that again.
So we posture ourselves away from rejection towards, what? Approval. So what do you have to do to get someoneās approval? Please them.
What do you have to do to please a person? Typically, act like them.
The most pervasive disease that afflicts humanity is the disease of being normal.
I donāt think anybodyās ever achieved an extraordinary life in terms of quality and success by excelling at normalcy.
Think of someone who you really admire. Might be a celebrity, might be someone in your personal life.
Doesnāt matter, just think of someone who you really admire. I almost can guarantee you there is something weird about this person or else you wouldnāt have ever noticed them, and therefore you wouldnāt be admiring them.
What I used to call a curse Iām like āwow this is actually a beautiful gift.ā Itās a shift of perspective. In order to express your inner genius that is your weirdness, I do believe you have to be willing to risk uncertainty and vulnerability.
It has to be a challenge to be expressed. It has to be a challenge to find it or else it wonāt have meaning.
I dream of a world where we can express yourself, experience yourself, and embody the unique creativity of your own being.
It might just seem that expressing weirdness in your life could be the worst thing you could ever do, and it might be, but what if itās one of the best things you could ever do for yourself?"
PS. as I read through this, there's one sentence that I fully disagree with. Added my thoughts in the first comment <3