April 12, 2006

Healthy

What is normal? It's normal to shout at someone when they don't indicate and you have to wait at a junction unnecessarily, but is it healthy? It's normal to ingest a very powerful mood-altering drug called alcohol, but is it healthy? It's normal to hit children, but is it healthy? It's normal to rage, but is it healthy? It's normal to stay in unemotional, unhappy relationships, but is it healthy.

What's normal is defined by everyone else, by a culture. Sometimes what's normal is actually frowned upon; to be hypocritical is normal, but is it healthy? We've got a culture of alcoholics and there are people who self-medicate with alcohol regularly and who frown upon them, is that healthy? We're all alcoholics! Hi, my name is Duncan and I'm an alcoholic.

What's healthy? That can only be known by an individual. What's healthy for me might not be healthy for you. What's healthy for me is what brings me peace and joy. I sometimes do things that are unhealthy for me; often they are normal things. I do them because I don't know any better; because I haven't learned to stop abusing myself yet.

I just had some people talking with me about The Bible on my doorstep. I was feeling very angry that they would be, in my opinion, misrepresenting Jesus like that. I let them talk to me for much longer than I felt comfortable with and I didn't tell them how angry I felt. That's unhealthy for me.

I'm certainly not normal. People who know me think that I'm very unusual. Some people like me and others don't — and that's fine; I can understand that. I'm unusual because I'm trying to get healthy. As much as I can I do what's healthy for me.

One day perhaps I'll help someone and when I do it'll be because I've helped myself. How can a sick man cure another sick man? How can a blind man lead another blind man?

The world's being filled with more and more amazing, creative, different, unique, crazy, fun, and interesting people. I choose to become one of them. I choose to become me. I choose health.