It is ironic that we live in a world that praises new, creative inventions with one hand, and then with the other, sends them off to some factory to be mass produced. In the same way, people are often encouraged to be different, but criticised when they do go against the flow.

It is no wonder, then, that we get confused a lot. There seem to be people on two far ends of the spectrum: one group who try desperately to fit in with the crowd, even if it means sacrificing their own morals and values, and those who do everything they can in order to be different. The thing about the former, however, is that they assume that there is a “normal,” when there really isn’t. What is normal has many variations, between different groups of friends, cities, and entire cultures. What one group considers normal might be outrageous to another, and in that sense, there really isn’t a true definition of “normal” and because of this, it’s really quite hard to try to achieve it. Those on the opposite end, however, may be trying to be different for the sake of it, and it’s hard to find credit for doing this, besides wanting to seek attention, or to be seen as special.

There is a common motive that ties these two extremes together, and that is not the desire to fit in, but rather the basic root of our need to be understood by others. There are, of course, people in between the extremes, and where you lie could depend on what you want out of life: if it is to be liked by others, or perhaps admired for being different. Either way, it must be remembered that everyone is unique in their own way. Unlike pieces of technology, we cannot be mass produced, and even twins vary in personality. At the end of the day, it’s best to just stay true to who we really are; to be our own version of “normal,“ instead of anyone else‘s.