What is normalcy?

[Tyler Robinson]

How will you define normalcy? 

Should life be an adventure or a very structured formulaic normal existence? 

I see people living normal monotonous lives and I think that there is a certain selfishness to it. They don't want to contribute too much to the world. They want to sit and watch TV and never be proactive to actively change society. I see their normalcy as a sign of cultural narcissism and the need to fill life with shallow things in order to escape the deeper realities of life. 

What are your thoughts on the normal-ness of life? 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Arthogaan]

6 hours ago, Tyler Robinson said:

How will you define normalcy? 

Should life be an adventure or a very structured formulaic normal existence? 

I see people living normal monotonous lives and I think that there is a certain selfishness to it. They don't want to contribute too much to the world. They want to sit and watch TV and never be proactive to actively change society. I see their normalcy as a sign of cultural narcissism and the need to fill life with shallow things in order to escape the deeper relatives of life. 

What are your thoughts on the normal-ness of life? 

Life absolutely should be an adventure. But also that adventure can be of peaceful, family, normal theme.

People often live monotonous lifes because their lack of wisdom created difficult circumstances for them to do otherwise.
Most of people believed that having significant other is the answer because we are programmed to believe so through our cultrure, movies, books. And then when they find a good partner we are conditioned by society, family and our genetics to have a kid. And when you have kid, you have to work to provide for him. So you stay in your bullshit job, take debt for a new house and live a boring life for the rest of it.
 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Arthogaan

[Alex_R]

1 hour ago, Arthogaan said:

Life absolutely should be an adventure. But also that adventure can be of peaceful, family, normal theme.

People often live monotonous lifes because their lack of wisdom created difficult circumstances for them to do otherwise.
Most of people believed that having significant other is the answer because we are programmed to believe so through our cultrure, movies, books. And then when they find a good partner we are conditioned by society, family and our genetics to have a kid. And when you have kid, you have to work to provide for him. So you stay in your bullshit job, take debt for a new house and live a boring life for the rest of it.
 

But at the end the point is that there is no point in life so what should i need to do instead? "Follow my passions?" they become boring at some point too anyways

 

If you find the way to get in love with consciousness 24/7 you can be happy doing anything

[Arthogaan]

10 hours ago, Alex_R said:

But at the end the point is that there is no point in life so what should i need to do instead? "Follow my passions?" they become boring at some point too anyways

Do what you want.

 

10 hours ago, Alex_R said:

If you find the way to get in love with consciousness 24/7 you can be happy doing anything

100% agree and that can be your life purpose and there is a lot of meaning behind meaninglesness of consciousness.

[Nilsi]

[Raphael]

 

Quote

Most of us are going to have an ordinary life so what have we done building a world in which an ordinary life is not good enough: this is crazy this is a form of self-torture we've now created a life where an ordinary life is materially more comfortable than it's ever been an ordinary life you're going to get a good car you're going to be able to have a bath every night you're going gonna have a roof over your head you're gonna have pretty nourishing food.

...

Then we've put a snake in the grass, we've ruined the paradise that we've built and our ancestors have built for us by telling ourselves that actually contrary to everything we hoped for an ordinary life is psychologically not good enough. It's not good enough just to drive an ordinary car and have an ordinary house and have an ordinary bath once a day and have an ordinary meal no that's not good enough: you need to be extraordinary become mark, zuckerberg become somebody else right... this is a kind of torture that we've imposed on ourselves.

...

We're insane: how have we made a life where the statistical odds of you leading that life the 99 surety that you will lead that life has come to seem like an humiliation and the wrong sort of life? This is setting yourself up for disaster.

...

Let's not torture ourselves that the only way to be good enough is to be extraordinary: this is poison. A bit of ambition is fantastic a bit of get up and go is fantastic, we're not in any danger of being unambitious: the danger now is suicide. The danger is that we will feel so inadequate in relation to the expectations placed upon us that we may choose to end our own lives and this happens in huge numbers we are suffering from an epidemic of mental unwellness largely bred by the expectation that our lives will be stellar when in fact they are far more likely only to be ordinary: our lack of acceptance of ourselves has made us sick.

...

Joy is going to be a drink with a friend joy, is going to be a meal that turns out okay, joy is going to be a day at the end of which no one's died there's been no crisis. More or less all right love is not going to be perfection, love is going to be occasionally a handheld by somebody who understands bits of you never the whole of you but has charity towards your darkest moments you know that is the life we're gonna lead and let that be okay.

 

[Tyler Robinson]

@Raphael meanwhile I agree with some of the stuff you're saying, you're basically pointing out the toxic stage Orange success obsessed society but this is the other side of the pendulum. 

This side of the pendulum that I'm referring to, is where being complacent will create a bad society, unproductive one. Because nobody wants to take any risk and any form of struggle and heroism is demonized or even considered stupid. Narcissistic people generally do this, they don't see value in struggles. They don't see value in bad. They don't see value in a good fight. That's why I called it cultural narcissism. 

[Raphael]

@Tyler Robinson  I agree and understood the issue that you pointed out too, but I'm a bit careful with the usage of the word "narcissism". Narcissism is rare.

Quote

Nobody wants to take any risk and any form of struggle and heroism is demonized or even considered stupid. Narcissistic people generally do this, they don't see value in struggles.

I had coworkers who had similar traits in the past but I wouldn't call them narcissists. They were only afraid to take risks or speak up and would laugh at the person who will do it.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Raphael

[Tyler Robinson]

Where's Leo's video on stage green related to Jordan Peterson where he says that stage Green people don't even get out of bed/clean your room. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

Found the video after some searching. 

It starts at minute 24 of the video 

 

[Tyler Robinson]

If you are having a deeply chaotic existence then you will never be able to do anything in life. This is not divine wisdom. This is just common sense. If you are able to have a basic sense of normalcy in your life, that's where things will get less overwhelming and the resulting discipline, order and peace that comes with such ordinary normalcy is going to motivate you to think beyond. And so correcting aspects of your life that are chaotic or cause chaos need to be taken seriously, should not be taken for granted. Because your basic motivation levels are tied to that. This is solid psychological advice and that's why having a sense of normalcy in life has deep wisdom associated with it and it makes perfect sense because if you can't have your shit together, it will be tough to dream of bigger things, an idealistic trap that many people fall into, a sense of adventure and excitement causes them to pursue and relentlessly chase things in the end resulting into nothing, but just having things normal will do so much good at least short term. Yea this is not divine wisdom, it's just common sense that if something disturbs your sense of normalcy, most likely it's not good for you as it is taking you away from your core. 

Most people are stage Blue, conformist and abide by this principle where they just want everything to be normal and seek solace in it. Any form of change or adventure like a new relationship looks threatening to such people. They just aren't ready for it. 

But what's the flip side? 

The flip side is general complacency. The flip side is never taking that dive, never having things change as a sacrifice to maintain a normalcy or status quo. Just resisting change as much as possible. Seeing anything different as bad or imprudent. Close mindedness and justification of selfishness where if you only care about yourselves, that's good enough. 

This leads to stagnation. 

So you see a lot of stage Blue societies are stagnant for this love of normalcy.

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

This dilemma is a bit dualistic. On one hand stage blue normalcy is something we all chase for in the end. We all want problems gone. We all want peace. We all want a structure. Yet, life is not so simple. Life has to vary and oscillate between simplicity and complexity. If everything is simple, then there's stagnation. 

I call the need to have normalcy the "HOUSEHOLD" mentality. Small people small minds. All you care about is breakfast,lunch, dinner and your safety, security and your bank account and your TV and your girlfriend for regular sex. 

But not everyone lives this way. Some people want to think beyond bread and butter, beyond "what's for breakfast" and their favorite comic show on TV. 

They want to explore the world, they want to fall in love and experience a heartbreak, they want to know pain, they want to participate in a civil war, they want to be in politics, they want to try a new psychedelic, they want an unconventional relationship. 

To a stage Blue normalcy loving person these things can look quite threatening. 

But for someone who has higher needs, they look beyond their usual existence. They want to contribute actively. They want to see what more they can bring to their life and the world. 

[Tyler Robinson]

I don't see chaos as a problem. Normalcy loving people see chaos as a huge problem or pain in the ass. 

But I see chaos as a thrust. Something that breaks monotony and brings in new changes even if these new changes meant some drama, conflict, stress. It is worth it in my eyes as I see it as a road to change. 

Yet too much chaos can cause living in chaos 24/7 and never having a sense of closure, even degradation if the chaos keeps piling up leading to more complications and then just more trouble creating a chain reaction where one thing leads to another and then everything becomes hyper chaotic and futile in the end. Where normalcy is completely neglected causing the whole process to collapse under the tension of its own weight and complications leading to nothing but further injury and then a downward spiral. 

This is obviously relying too much on idealism and neglecting aspects of reality. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

Here I'm finding myself stuck in a dilemma. 

Between the "HOUSEHOLD" mindset on one side of the pendulum where any change, creativity, rebellion, drama,chaos,conflict, adventure, "other purpose than the status quo" is shunned and frowned upon. 

I also see this mindset as rooted in either fear or selfishness. Fear since the people are just afraid of change and very insecure and resistant to it. Or it's rooted in selfishness and cold indifference where any concern about social welfare is deemed stupid or unnecessary or a waste of time. 

And on the other side of the pendulum what I see and what I would call the activist mindset. This mindset is always ready for chaos, always wanting and demanding change, is too concerned about the world, cherishes creativity, finds meaning in adventure, doesn't regret bad decisions, honors every kind of purpose, even the one that is outside the ambit of status quo. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Eyowey]

21 hours ago, Tyler Robinson said:

How will you define normalcy?

Normalcy is what more than 50% of humans are doing. This can apply to earth, country, city, etc.

21 hours ago, Tyler Robinson said:

Should life be an adventure or a very structured formulaic normal existence?

Keep the things you love while searching for new treasures. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a good thing for a better thing. 

[Tyler Robinson]

Some of this normalcy based thinking is also rooted in nihilism. 

They don't want to think they can deserve better or just want to make peace with their situation, seeing their own "not wanting better things" as some sort of sacrificial humility and a sense of compromise. 

So there are many things that influence this normalcy mentality 

• Fear of change. 
• Resistance to change 
• Stage Blue elements 
• Fear of Drama, conflict 
• Not enough trust in change. 
• Nihilism 
• Contrived Humility 
• Narcissism(contrived victimhood /fake Humility - see I'm a victim yet I'm not complaining so I must be better than those who complain. 
• Lack of real concern for the world, feeling comfort in an escapist mentality. 
• Cold indifference - why should I care as long as I can watch TV. I'll only fight when I have personal privileges to lose. If it's not bothering me, I won't bother, it's happening to someone else, so I will just turn a blind eye to it since I don't want to feel emotionally pressured to take responsibility. 
• I feel better as long as I am conforming to society, so I must be doing something right as long as I am on the same page as others around me. 
• I will see shallow things to satisfy my mind like some boring show and this way I don't have to worry aspects of reality. I can just turn it off and not worry about it. 
• I will hate anyone who is trying to question the system. That takes away my sense of peace. It means stress and tension that I wish to avoid. So I'll stereotype such rebellious people as drama creators. They are nothing but drama in my eyes but I fail to see the positive aspects of why they are pushing for change. 
• I hate all activists because they are doing everything for either ego, fame, attention, controversy, clout. They can't be genuine. They are simply riling things up and wasting everyone's time 
• I don't see meaning in life. There is no deep meaning to anything. I'm clueless when asked about meaning. I am happy if I have a marriage, kids, work, pets, white picket fence and a social standing. Once my needs are satisfied I won't care about anything else. I'm only striving to achieve those particular things just mentioned. 
• I don't even want to know what change can lead to because in my little self righteous mind, all these changes are going to be proved meaningless. Any person wanting change is imprudent. 
• I want security. I want to feel safe. As long as I don't have to work too hard for anything and everything is going well for me, I'm safe even if someone in my neighborhood is dying. 
• When someone suffers, I'll victim blame instead of asking for change. I will put it all on them. This way I have zero responsibility for social change. My side is cleared. Let them suffer. Let them suffer and die, how does it matter? It was their fate probably.
• The world is irrelevant to me. I should just trying to get along with it so I can survive better and I can feel safe. 
• I seek solace and joy in my normalcy so I don't have to worry about anything else. Everything will look perfect to me and this is my ideal world. 
• Anything uncomfortable or difficult, I don't want to know about it. 
• Trying anything new is scary to my sense of security. I just won't trust anybody 
• I look at everything with suspicion 
• I get paranoid only when my own sense of security is threatened. Nothing else about others scares me. 
• Everything is right only when it's right in my eyes. Any other justification will be rubbished. 
• My life is normal. See? It gives me a sense of safety. I must be doing everything right. 

 

. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

Meanwhile there's a certain worth and Wisdom in a conformist safety oriented normalcy mindset (the "HOUSEHOLD" mindset). When looked at positively it might be rooted simply in wanting peace and equanimity(the spiritual significance of this mindset). When looked at negatively, it is simply people being unempathetic, shrewd, cold and close minded, lazy and wanting to coddle their false sense of security they find in living this sense of normalcy.

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

So what's the good and the bad of it? 

First The good of it. 

• It's important to have a sense of normalcy. 
• You can feel demotivated if you don't 
• There's machiavellian wisdom in it which is self serving 
• It's a very me me me survival based philosophy. Only and only MAH survival. That's it. 
• Too much chaos and failure to maintain normalcy can lead to degradation and devastation through a chain reaction of complexities 
• It brings a lot of mental peace and feel good states. It can feel quite cozy. 
• It takes away the burden of thinking for oneself. You do what others do and you're safe. You don't have to think too much in a stage Blue environment. Everything is already structured. Just follow the structure. Don't think. 
• You cannot achieve much else if your mind is not feeling stable, if your life is all chaotic all the time, you'll be left with very little resources and time to achieve your big picture idealistic dreams. This point is emphasized at minute 24 in the video - https://youtu.be/fzQ3SSpiQvQ
• It protects you from chaotic situations and the resulting stress of cognitive conflicts 
• It definitely makes life easier while making everything else shittier. 
• . It places priority on self and personal happiness and leaves little room for anything else. 
• It can stop the cycle of chaos in life and maintain order. 
• It makes it easier to make decisions. Just do things that look beneficial and maintain the status quo in the moment. 
• It takes away the anxiety of the future. Everything is pre planned 
• It blocks negativity that comes from ruminating over the tragedies of the world. 
• It fulfills basic needs on the Maslow's Hierarchy. 
• It keeps you in good shape and well prepared for anything. 
• It frees up the mind to do other things. Although it simultaneously also takes away the motivation to do these other things. 
• It's invigorating and makes life more enjoyable and improves the zest for living. Inherently makes you want to appreciate life more since you become addicted to maintaining this normalcy at all times, feeding you dopamine through relaxation. 
• It's the most basic happiness in life. 

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Tyler Robinson

[Tyler Robinson]

The bad of it - 

• It encourages group think 
• A strong stage Blue element of conformity 
• Anything different is hated. 
• Any form of stress is hated 
• Critical thinking is ignored 
• No chance for adventure 
• Sacrifice is considered stupidity 
• It births selfish lazy mentality. 
• Resists change 
• Traditionalist mindset 
• Discourages empathy 
• Creates oppressive redundant bureaucracy 
• Encourages victim blaming mentality 
• Little social responsibility 
• Encourages gaslighting 
• Leads to stagnant societies
• Shuns hard work 
• Lack of responsibility and avoidance 
• People live with a false sense of security 

[Maru]

I am quite happy that there is allot of normal people. They do all the things i deem boring and uninteresting so i don't have to. 
The world needs a balance of both. The normal and the abnormal both have roles in this game of life id say.