NORMAL OR COMMON?

I was wondering about something happened in last class, maybe vague, without importance for some people, but necessary since we already have made this distinction in any moment, place and for some specific context. This idea has surrounded in my mind since that…

While listening to my friends’ presentations, all those meaningful aspects in every author’s life they described, I found these little remarks:

I realized that we tend to call “genius” anybody having specific skills in any field or even in more than one knowledge area, I’m not saying that’s false, I think the same in certain way, but are we conscious of what we can make and the place of our own thoughts? There are countless possibilities and it really matters the way you see your I-can-do-the-same-even-better process, so, maybe we’re “genius” as well (in the worst case, we’re going to be) B +.

Let’s talk about the most interesting thing I heard in class and I was thinking about.

Have you thought about the real meaning of normal? Hmmmm I guess you so…

Well, that class was really important to me because it gave me some clues in order to increase all the ideas I have had in mind and as Susan Sontag said: “it was burning in my brain” well, kind of.

…This author is a normal guy… hmmm since we say something like that; do we have the position and the right to assure what is normal in this inscrutable world? Are we normal people?

What is normal?

Yes, I’m with teacher’s position even if she forgot that I raised my hand to give my opinion while se was talking about that… I’m not trying to be such an asshole because I write this. It’s just to point it out. J In certain way that was a reason for what I’m doing now.

I don’t know if you have noted the same but, this exercise of presenting biographies has shown different perspectives of life, alternative ways of managing situations. That implies many backgrounds in every piece of history. After see a great bunch of characteristics related in those authors, I tried to understand what a “genius mind” requires: A very deep pleasure for freedom, in all sides, life, religion, social, sex relations (most of them are very open-minded about that, some of them homosexuals, bisexuals, etc). The inspiration to be heroes, through writing or assuming risky positions in society and one of the most important: to be considered “crazy/mad” in some part of your life.

I remember in last class a funny drawing made by one of my friends, with a little man holding a kind of banner and the following message: “craziness is not allowed here”. Jeje that was pretty interesting for me, although I didn’t ask him the reason of that.

I restructured my questions: Are we crazy people because we think the others are crazy?

Are we “normal” because they’re crazy? And what does “to be crazy” mean? It has to do with illness every time? Do we need a mental illness to be considered as genius?

Finally, I would say is better to use the word “common” if we try to show whatever as something ordinary. Don’t you think?

Maybe I’m a little crazy writing all these…