Our society has become obsessed with its ability to categorize and label every behavior.  We use words like, “abnormal,” “dysfunctional,” and “eccentric,” with much greater frequency that we did in the past, as we are so bent upon identifying every problem and grouping people into easily manageable divisions.  Now, if a person acts or thinks in any way that is different than their social group, the label they inherit defines them as less than normal- as being inferior to the rank and file all around them.

There can be no doubt that some people indeed suffer from severe emotional or mental struggles for which they need support and treatment.  What I question is the labeling of masses of people as abnormal because of slight personality differences.  In fact, how can we even identify what is normal, when a large population is labeled abnormal… doesn’t the abnormal then become the norm?

Perhaps we should simply use the word, “unique.”  In many ways, there is no such thing as a “norm” in human behavior.  We are all gloriously different.  Some of us are more emotional than others, some of us are more keenly analytical, and some are more relationship oriented.  Does this diversity make us weaker?  I don’t think so.  It seems that it would make us stronger!  Because you are different than others doesn’t make you imperfect, it simply makes you magnificently “one of a kind.”

Kerry