
In my twenty years of walking around in this planet, I have observed that most of us have been going to great extent just to meet the demands of this society and what for? Normality.
And what exactly is normal indeed? Neither of us really dared to question and if ever, we just spew out the same banal explanations taught and conditioned to us by society itself. So what is it with normality that we strive so hard to achieve? Writing this, I myself cannot even think of an answer that could satisfy this existential curiosity. By saying normal, are we trying to find some sort of "anchor" to keep us within the bounds of what the majority expects us to become? And if so why would we want to be fettered by this voluntary self-confinement? Isn't this quite self-defeating not to mention a hint of masochistic desire?
Looking back in history, rarely do I find a remarkable man who has never been an outcast or a deviant from their respective social contexts. These men that we call geniuses today have been labeled as madmen, lunatics, or heretics, for the simple fact that those people dared to explore a different dimension that exists outside the confines of the social constraints in their time. Without these so-called lunatics, I think I wouldn't be typing on my laptop but rather writing this entry on a parchment with a plume. Without imagination, invention is nothing but a far-fetched delusion.
Last Monday, I was searching over the net on what movie I should watch next to divert myself from the grief I felt for losing a friend. So I found out that the book that inspired me to take up psychology has already had its movie adaptation available for streaming. The book is called Veronika Decides To Die written by the brilliant Paulo Coelho. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as Veronika and she played her role quite stunningly well though I was hoping they would get a European actress to play the part. But overall I think the movie adaptation did the book some justice as it was wise of them to hire Paulo Coelho himself as one of the screenwriters.
So what's the connection between normality and Veronika Decides To Die? Well the story revolves around a woman in her mid-20's living a perfectly "normal" life, with a high-paying job, a pretty face, and with brains to boot. But one day she suddenly realizedt hat life doesn't quite cut it anymore so she decided to kill herself through over dosing only to end up failing and locked up in a psychiatric facility. What's more devastating for Veronika is that she was informed by one of the doctors that the attempt she did on her life made her heart develop a certain condition that any time it could stop beating and kill her in an instant. She asked the doctors how much time she has left but the doctors just told her bluntly that it can happen at any time of the day, it could be tomorrow, next week or the week after next.
Having this knowledge about her impending death made her realize how much she has been trying to meet societal demands that made her experience full-blown existential ennui and extreme unhappiness that pushed her to end her life at once. She has come to a conclusion that she would've been much happier had she done the things she wanted to do that society forbids her to. Having an increased awareness of death made her want to live more of her life.Not just breathe and extend her existence but to actually live it. To live it beyond the generic definition of how she should live her own life, without the dictates of the majority.
There inside the loony bin that she initially despised she found a few friends that made her question reality, society, and life. One of the most notable thing I wanted to share from that book is the story told by one of her "crazy" friends about The King and The Well of Madness. The king and queen are loved by the people but one day the communal well was contaminated with something that makes one turn mad once you drink from it. Then the people started to go against the king's orders because they don't see eye to eye anymore. It created so much outrage that the once peaceful kingdom was slowly turning into a place of anarchy. The queen suggested that they might as well drink from the well in hopes to turn things back to "normal" again. Hesitant but was totally out of options, the king considered the queen's suggestion and both of them drank from the communal well and the moment they drank the water of madness, they started to see the people's point of view and so his reign in their kingdom was once again restored.
It rings a bell doesn't it? It happens all the time. The bandwagon will always pass you by and chances are you are going to go for a ride. You are going to become just "like them." A cog in a machinery of mindlessness. But do you really want it? I don't think so, but you are just like the king, pushed to drink from the well because the antagonizing people are the majority. The majority establishes what is normal and what is not.
Will you stay afraid from the majority or will you live on freed from their chains?
As one of my favorite author, Chuck Palahnuik said,
“You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be.”








