What exactly is Normal?

 
  Normal seems to be a set of events that have the appearance of not being random and deemed by a group to be regular enough to be looked at casually and accepted by them to be status quo.I'm not referring to normal physically or mentally. More of a reference to normal happenings ,appearances and events.
 
  Usually this is within the confines of a particular time or a particular place. There would likely be disagreement on what exactly normal is supposed to be,even within the ranks of the group.The best way to overcome the inner disagreements would be to get a majority in agreement fast and then outnumber the rest and pose seemingly valid reasons for why the alternate views are not  acceptable. There is individual normal and group normal.
 
 
 Normal seems to be a sliding scale and greatly depends on a lot of particulars and individual perceptions. In this regard normal is never really nailed down to anything in any concrete way and over time changes come either by human intervention or unforseen and uncontrollable events.
 
 We seem to have these internal "flags" about what we consider to be normal,routine,mundane. Slight changes to our ideas of normal over time seem to keep the idea of normal alive while changes are in the making.Looking back 30 years the changes have been radical.
 
  Making big changes appear seem normal is an art that anyone with the power to social engineer needs to get down.
Going from Incandescent to LED lighting is a good example. They look similar to the old bulbs,but are in no way the same.Some people resisted the idea and want the old bulbs but they are no longer going to be made,so even the holdouts are forced to comply. Eventually it becomes the new normal.
 
 We need to accept our surroundings in order to be comfortable in them. Many of us seem to loose our compass and comfort level when things change too radically.This is a great trait, to be able to adapt and mentally cope with a different set of circumstances. An unforseen big change is a process of slowly coming to grips with a new thing. We might not particularly like a new thing but we somehow cope with whatever it is or we might get to the point where we actually like the new thing. Maybe we go on the offensive to  make a changes and have mentally prepared for it. In changing our own "normal" we feel more empowered.
 
 Feel free to tell me if you think I'm full of poo...just thinking outloud.
 
 The only normal as I see it is that nothing ever stays the same.
 
  

I like to keep things as simple as possible. For me, holding onto my core beliefs is normal. The world, our surroundings will continuously keep changing and people generally will adapt to this environment. You just have to take the good and filter the bad. 

What's not normal is knowing that Bapu & Beagle are both missing at the same time!!   

Interesting thread you've got going here.  Sociological Normalcy is a fluid, ephemeral concept at best.  We tend to define it by what it is not.  I looked it up in the dictionary and read, "Not you, Bubba."  Due to our instinctual need to identify ourselves with a group, our need to belong to something greater than ourselves, we often define Normal to include the defining characteristics of our group. 

The desire to fit in to some social group is wired deep within us.  Even when we are outcasts from society at large, we come together as an alternate group.  While we may value our individuality, we will choose to sublimate it in order to belong to a group. 

Within the construct of a social grouping, we may appear to deviate from accepted norms, yet not so far as to alienate ourselves entirely from that group.  Sometimes, the appearance of alienation from one group may be the defining characteristic of an alternate group.

Normalcy is also an essential requirement when sending your Igor to select a brain for your reanimation experiments.

Starise


 
  Normal seems to be a set of events that have the appearance of not being random and deemed by a group to be regular enough to be looked at casually and accepted by them to be status quo.I'm not referring to normal physically or mentally. More of a reference to normal happenings ,appearances and events.........

  ........
 The only normal as I see it is that nothing ever stays the same.
 
  

Interesting questions...for 1000 years it was normal to use the horse as a means of transport and power, and within our lifetime that's disappeared.

drewfx1

Starise

The only normal as I see it is that nothing ever stays the same. 

 

Normally I wouldn't post in a thread like this, but....

Does this mean that things that stay the same, like say, the fundamental laws of physics, are abnormal? Or should I normally be worried about stuff that was held down by gravity flying off into space?

Isn't it normal that some things might vary by location whereas others might vary over time, while still others might do both (or neither)?

  I see your point. My statement in saying "nothing" ever stays the same was referring to the way society and people are always in a state of change. It is interesting that you should mention physics and particularly gravity. I recently have been listening to Thomas Fusco   http://www.cosmicveil.com.bout-the-book.html  on a podcast radio show and his ideas on gravity and physics.He tries to approach some issues that the mainstream prefer not to touch in a scientific way. If you have any interest in this stuff,his thoughts are challenging.

 I think we regard physics as a mainstay and like to think that we have it all worked out on paper,but in reality we need to rework some of our ideas about physics.What some scientists call the "laws of physics " have been broken.

  Gravity could be considered an abnormal thing elsewhere in the universe. Here it is considered to be normal,though we really don't understand it totally.If you believe in a creation then the only constants are the creator IMHO.

 When I went to bed last night I expected the normal outcome that I would wake up after a nights rest just like the night before. There is  no guarantee of that expectation. The house could catch fire,I could be robbed, I might pass away in my sleep.At the doorway of normal can lay the unexpected.

 Bubba, good thoughts on the subject I thought.

 
  "What's not normal is knowing that Bapu & Beagle are both missing at the same time!! "...I hear ya Mesh hang in there man. I'm sure they will be back soon,probably just meandering around somewhere. Those diets cause all kinds of problems...and he's not half the man he used to be.

 Craig- The sliding scales sound good in Blues G.

"Normal", is a highly abused word semantically. Unlike some words where people try to constantly affirm its premise, "normal" is a word that people often try to undermine. It is something we all intrinsically understand, yet, so many deny when it suits them. "What is normal" is often the question raised by those with no valid supporting arguments in a debate.

I've marked a few benches in my day...

Jonbouy

What exactly is Normal?

I suppose it could be said that I'm the benchmark.

In the past I would have used one word to agree with you. That's not normal anymore, yes?

mmmm...I still think Herbert West is not normal.....

bapu

Jonbouy

What exactly is Normal?

I suppose it could be said that I'm the benchmark.

In the past I would have used one word to agree with you. That's not normal anymore, yes?

Ja

I never normalise

Interesting post.

Sort of wonder if ostracizing those who seem abnormal is an evolutionary result of avoiding members of the herd who may be dangerously ill.

(As for the CFLs, I recently had one come apart and was surprised, and a bit horrified, by how much electronics were inside... didn't seem very "green".)

Well, to me, "herd mentality" means "following the herd"; e.g. buying what everyone else is buy in the stock market.  So, to your point, if a few people avoided someone for being abnormal and everyone else followed the few, that would be herd mentality.

Either way, ask yourself why people would fear the abnormal; contagious, violent, or maybe just marching to a different drummer?

It's abnormal to be "frightend" of "heard" mentality.