Normalness: The Definition Of Normality

Normalness. Normalness is defined by humans, so naturally, what’s “normal” should also be defined by humans. But here’s the problem. What is normal? Maybe it means the average, like it does in statistics? However, the average is often misleading, after all, the normal human is half male and half female. Is that normal? Maybe “normal” is the typical individual; this raises another question: What is typical? There is a difference between a typical individual and an individual from a typical group. There are real statistics for this, like the Pareto principle, also known as the 80-20 rule, which states that around 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. The same is seen with humans: most people live in the top seven most populated countries,

Numbers. The number of followers is what really defines what’s “normal.” Enough people do it? It’s normal. Am I normal? Are you normal? Is anyone normal? I will accept that I am not normal, after all, it’s not normal to eat ice cream with chopsticks. It’s not normal to fangirl over a really cool prosecutor. It’s not normal to be upper class. It’s not normal to go to a private school. But normality is relative, as many other things. It’s normal to eat ice cream with chopsticks within my friend group. It’s normal to fangirl over Klavier Gavin -- and/or Miles Edgeworth, since they’re both really cool prosecutors -- in the Ace Attorney fandom. It’s normal to be in the upper class in the upper class. It’s normal to go to a private school within private schools. Everyone is normal, just in their own group. Thus, there is no “most normal” person. Whether someone thinks they are normal is mostly dependent on what they believe is “normal.” Not everyone worries about being such things. I’ve had people tell me the way I think is too philosophical. Is that normal? It is for me. Is it normal for everyone else? Probably not. No matter how philosophical I can make this seem, the world and its people are stubborn, and so there are still social norms. It is what it is. It’s okay not to follow the social norms, because if everyone was normal, then it wouldn’t be conflicts at all, since everyone thinks the same way. In fact, being normal seems rather counter-intuitive when you think about it. The probability of being totally normal -- that is, to be “normal” by all standards -- is less than one in one million. The idea of everyone being “normal” goes against biology itself. Ignoring all religious beliefs, our differences were most likely beneficial to living back when people had to run from tigers and survive in the woods. Different sleep schedules, for example, is most likely for the group’s