We are taught from infancy that the choice must be made. We are taught from the perspective of the teacher. Perspectives that perpetuate division amongst us. One or another; one's good and the other is bad. We learn to chose sides; sides that are separated by something: an idea, a border, a belief. A line in the sand. "We will be remembered for the choices we make."
So, it should come as no surprise to us that every issue we meet in our lives tends to become contentious. Who's side are you on? Are you a conservative or a liberal? Do you live in a red state or a blue state? You say "toe-ma-toe" and I say "to-mat-to". "You say hello and I say good-bye."
Isn't there such as thing as gray? as warm? as "hopeful despair"? as middle aged? as "in motion"?
The people are both sides of the issue get all the media attention. And I contend that there are not that many people on both sides. Most of us are in the middle. I submit the Bell Curve as proof.
The bell curve, while not a measure of anything, is simply the representation of data that happens to be the most common outcome. The bell curve illustrates the probability theory and statistics that describes how data clusters around the mean; classes with the highest frequency cluster around the middle and classes with lowest frequency cluster at each end. The theory supports normal distribution. Did I say "NORMAL"?What definition do we apply to "normal"? Who or what is in the bell? Normal implies conformity with established standards or regular or commonly accepted practices. We have the word, typical, which applies the most common characteristics of a issue, place or thing. Normal could be what is natural or innate; there is usual to describe the ordinary. Is normal really average?
Even when we are given the chance to be exposed to something outside of the normal we have been taught; even if we like the "other" choice, we never consider it normal. We stay safely within the bell and accept the concept that those people and things on the opposite sides of the cluster are not normal.
I like the descriptions are the illustration. Some of are the "same as others"; some of us agree more and some of us agree less with the others who think the same. It is not opposite; it is different. And I think that is normal.
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ReplyDeleteIf I fall outside the norm does that make me
ReplyDeleteAbby Normal ?
Interesting post...
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny how our use of words like "normal" in mathematics shape our perception of what the mathematical concepts mean.
Other interesting examples might include "clique" from graph theory, "simple group" from abstract algebra, or "ideal" from ring theory.
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