Is it ok to be strange?

To be strange in some eyes is a virtue. Some of the most intelligent and admired people (e.g. Einstein, Edison) were considered eccentric, odd, or strange. Why? Was it because they were strange? Who has the monopoly on that definition? No one. Is it wrong for you to think someone is strange? No. Its human nature to critique those different from you - its a defense mechanism.

Is it wrong to treat someone differently because you assess them as strange? Maybe. Do we consider murderers strange? Yes. Why? Because it is common for almost all people to preserve human life, not destroy it.

Strange is yet again something relative to perspective. What is strange to you might not be strange to someone else. To me it seems that everyone hungers to be different (or strange) than everyone else around them, while at the same time being accepted. The utter selfishness in humans drives us to want to stand out and be seen as unique. The guys in highschool wanted to be different tried to do everything to separate themselves from "in-crowd" and ended up finding safety amongst another group with a similar perspective (don't get started on the in-crowd - that'll be another post).

To be different you must take risks. With the risk can come pain, sadness, and loneliness. Most people are scared to be alone (again, another defense mechanism) because we are designed to depend on each other.

Is there any gain in being strange? I don't know. Probably. Maybe to be temporarily odd, without anyone knowing, some feel freedom. In some cases people just want the attention (hmm, maybe that's me). The most amazing thing about people that I see as strange, odd or different is that they challenge me to see the world from new eyes. In closing, I would like to say...

People fly kites to smell rainbows on hot summer asphalt

(Deep thoughts brought to you by NOBODYCARES)