033. A Good Life
'That’s just how things are.'
Sometimes, I wonder how much of our cultures and traditions truly align with the people from whom they originated. Sometimes I wonder, if they were to find their way to the present day, would they understand the application of their behaviours in our modern contexts or, do cultures and traditions form as a response to the times. Then, after some time, we stop to question the cause and purpose of certain behaviours and just accept them as the way things are.
If all was well and good, then I imagine, as a species, we would have served our purpose by now and there would be no need for our continued existence. The quest for meaning would cease, and the generational burden of trying to define what a good life is would be no more. Though, we remain. The questions that defined the careers of many great philosophers, remain questions every average Jo will encounter at least once in their lives.
For as long as I can remember, I have never been a fan of labels. The idea of picking an 'identity' and that would then be who you are for the rest of your life always felt so…odd. It is highly likely the reason I steered away from labels was because of how I was labelled as a young girl.
From the ages of 9 to probably 17, the label of 'weird' seemed impossible to escape. No matter what I did, or how hard I tried, I was always the 'weird girl'. For much of that period, it was a word hurled at me as an insult. Even now, thinking back to that period and seeing 'weird girl' on my screen like this, it feels like a slur. A label I did not choose and for so long, made me question why I was so 'wrong'.
For a long time, all I wanted was to be normal. To be normal, I had to try to learn and figure out what normal meant. However, I don't think people that fall under the classification of normal have to try too much to be normal. I imagine, somewhere in childhood, they just were and they followed that path all the way to normalcy. However, in trying to understand what normal was, all I noticed were people's differences. All I noticed was how much they all differed from each other but somehow, they had an underlying in-group quality that was beyond my comprehension, likely why I found myself on the outside.
Eventually, I would manage to find people who were willing to go beyond the basic labelling and actually have a conversation. Actually get to know the person beneath the label. It was only then I would feel the semblance of what normal meant. They would likely still consider me a little weird, but then, it wasn't an insult anymore, rather an acknowledge of difference.
Having had grown up in different environments from my peers and often the new girl, it was easy for me to be different - it was easy for me to seem 'weird'. What was normal to them, was often weird to me. However, as one against many, I often had to be the one confronting the differences. Trying to understand why what worked in one environment, no longer applied.
I guess from place to place, what is considered normal differs, however, when you are facing these differences on your own, it is easy to become the weird one - it is easy to feel like something is wrong with you.
There's a story, one I am sure we all know. It talks about how we all know to be true started from two people, Eve and Adam. Before them, there was nothing. After, there was art, music, fire, tradition, culture, then eventually, you and I. Somewhere between then and now, philosophers thought, artists created, empires built, wars fought, boarder drawn, cultures created, physics calculated, wars fought, empires erected, cultures built, and again, boarder drawn; but today, at the opportunity of thought, at the opportunity for creation, we say, 'that's just how thing are' then we move on.
I wonder, when did that become the culture? When did we decide that label? What happened to thought? What happened to creation?
If that is where we have arrived, where we no longer question then, are we near our end?
Have we so quickly given up on trying to define what a good life is?
Dear reader, this is not the way things have always been, neither will it be the way things will always be. However, that is a choice you have to be daring to make, because, normal has a way of changing over time.
Good vibes. Life is long but, we are not guaranteed tomorrow so, be sure to put your best foot forward because in this life, it is all that we can do. It was really tough getting to this point today so, tomorrow I hope for a little more ease. Either way, I will be here, I hope you will too. :)
