Sunday, September 27, 2009

"The Tyranny of Normal"

An excerpt of my thoughts on an essay by Leslie Fielder. I find this to be true for all too many people, including myself before I discovered how much God loves me.

"The “tyranny of normal” rules the garden of our minds, watering the seeds of discontent and isolation we feel in relation to our fellow man. In the deep recesses of our mind, known only to us or perhaps residing in our subconscious, exists a brutal voice that tells us that we are not “good enough”. This voice speaks loudly and clearly, telling us that we aren’t worthy of acceptance, and if anybody really got to know us, would find out how truly ugly we are. The easiest way to escape the detection and discovery of this “ugly” self, is to blend in and to cast off anything which might cause anyone to take a closer look. It is out of our fear of discovery, of the rejection we dread, that we go under the knife to fix our big nose, to enhance our breast size, suck away our stomach fat, whiten our teeth, iron out our wrinkles, etc. The outer façade that we desperately keep squeaky clean belies a sinister and rotted undercarriage; one that tells the story of how we are not deserving of love or acceptance. Nothing can be lonelier than to be on an island, marooned by the knowledge of who we really are, yet wanting desperately to connect with those around us."

No comments: