I'm kinda Odd
Been thinking today about the idea of being broken. I am bipolar, I have a fair deal of anxiety, my sense of direction is nonexistent and my attention span is laughably short. For a while I thought these things made me defective b/c I didn't meet the norm but it has recently started to gel for me that I'm good.
All my traits aren't well adapted to high functioning in this society but that doesn't mean there is an inherent flaw in me. I think there is a significant difference in the approach of telling someone they need help maximizing their experience in this society and telling them that they are flawed. It may seem like a subtle shift but it is an important one. I know that for me my life got tons better when I changed my environment. My choice was to withdraw from certain things that I found overwhelming. A lot of people disagree with this coping mechanism and in fact consider it non coping. I disagree, I'm happier, calmer and able to do a greater variety of things because my world is smaller overall. It seems counter intuitive but since I'm not being constantly overwhelmed it is easier to venture out further in small doses when I want or need to and enjoy it. We have such a narrow view of what is the right way to live successfully that this isn't an option for most people and even when it is it's frowned upon.
For a society that is quick to quote that we all have a right to the pursuit of happiness the minute that pursuit takes on a look that doesn't look like one of the pre-approved scripts we no longer feel that person has that right. In fact they shouldn't even be happy doing that, they couldn't be. And even if they would be it's more important that everyone stick to the script and if you can't stick to the script then it's important that you know unequivocally that you are the problem. There are no workarounds, there are no alternatives and how dare you try to be creative. I think we should dare, we should have the audacity to accept who we are even when we don't fit the mold well enough to easily have the optimized experience. Sometimes we need to adapt and sometimes things just need to change. The first step to change is realizing we are worth it.
All my traits aren't well adapted to high functioning in this society but that doesn't mean there is an inherent flaw in me. I think there is a significant difference in the approach of telling someone they need help maximizing their experience in this society and telling them that they are flawed. It may seem like a subtle shift but it is an important one. I know that for me my life got tons better when I changed my environment. My choice was to withdraw from certain things that I found overwhelming. A lot of people disagree with this coping mechanism and in fact consider it non coping. I disagree, I'm happier, calmer and able to do a greater variety of things because my world is smaller overall. It seems counter intuitive but since I'm not being constantly overwhelmed it is easier to venture out further in small doses when I want or need to and enjoy it. We have such a narrow view of what is the right way to live successfully that this isn't an option for most people and even when it is it's frowned upon.
For a society that is quick to quote that we all have a right to the pursuit of happiness the minute that pursuit takes on a look that doesn't look like one of the pre-approved scripts we no longer feel that person has that right. In fact they shouldn't even be happy doing that, they couldn't be. And even if they would be it's more important that everyone stick to the script and if you can't stick to the script then it's important that you know unequivocally that you are the problem. There are no workarounds, there are no alternatives and how dare you try to be creative. I think we should dare, we should have the audacity to accept who we are even when we don't fit the mold well enough to easily have the optimized experience. Sometimes we need to adapt and sometimes things just need to change. The first step to change is realizing we are worth it.
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