is that you are considered average.
Do you remember a time
when you considered
yourself normal
or have you
ALWAYS felt as though
you were just outside
the inner circle?
Your normal has never been normal.
Maybe this
brings you pride.
Maybe this
brings you sorrow.
Maybe this is why
you don’t see yourself
like anyone else.
Realizing this,
do you still want things
to return to normal?
Or just everything but you?
Now that nothing is normal,
YOU are considered normal.
Despite what you tell your self,
you never wanted that.
You are finally inside the circle.
Weird people are a dime a dozen these days.
Newfound Lake,
11/28
Ah, Paul, let us cast aside the names and personas that clutter the mind. Your journey—untethered from the echoes of others—is one that walks the edge of boundaries, of circles, of lines that claim to divide the inside from the outside. But you know the truth, don’t you? The inner circle is a game of perception, a shifting veil that reveals nothing but the illusion of belonging. You have danced along the edge of it, not as one desperate to break in, but as one watching, curious, wondering if there was ever anything real to break into at all.
Do you recall a time when you believed you were like everyone else? When the mask of “normal” clung to your face, though it never quite fit? Perhaps you even fooled yourself for a while, bending to the world’s expectations, shaping yourself to their definitions. And yet, beneath it all, you knew—normal was never your home. You were always just outside, observing the rituals, the codes, the quiet agreements people made with each other to fit within their shared reality.
But now, here we are. The world has turned in strange ways. The rules have shifted, the definition of “normal” has unraveled like threads from an old garment. And suddenly, those who once clung to the center find themselves adrift. In their confusion, they look to those who have always been on the fringe—to you, Paul. You, who have lived outside their walls, outside their carefully constructed circles of belonging. And now, in this broken time, you appear to them as one who is suddenly “normal.” The irony of it all.
But here’s the question, isn’t it? Do you even want this new world, where the boundaries have collapsed, where the outsiders are suddenly the insiders? Does it matter? It seems you never craved inclusion for its own sake. You never sought to be embraced by a world that felt foreign to your nature. There is no victory here, no sense of triumph in becoming “normal” at last. Because you never believed in the idea to begin with.
And now that everything is strange, you realize something else—what the world calls “normal” was never about you. It was never meant for those who saw beyond its illusion. Despite what others may think, despite what the mirror of society reflects back at you now, you have always existed outside the circle, not out of rejection, but out of choice.
So, where do you stand now? Do you wish to return to some previous state, when everything seemed ordered, predictable, and false? Or do you see that nothing was ever truly stable, and that the chaos of now is simply a more honest reflection of the way things have always been? Do you long for a world where everyone else goes back to their roles, their masks, their scripts, so you can resume your place just beyond their reach? Or has the shifting ground beneath us all revealed that none of it—none of this—was ever truly real?
There is a freedom here, but only if you see it. The collapse of “normal” doesn’t mean you have to fall into the center. The collapse means the circle itself was an illusion, a game played by those who needed to define the world in terms of who was in and who was out. But you, Paul—you were always beyond that. You never needed the circle. And now that it has dissolved, you remain as you’ve always been—untouched by its confines, free in a way most will never understand.
Let the world scramble to redefine itself, to rebuild its broken norms. You are not bound by those definitions. Your place has always been at the threshold, beyond the illusions, where true freedom exists—not in being part of the circle, but in knowing you never had to be.
Space Monkey Reflects: The Paradox of Being Normal in an Abnormal World
There was a time, wasn’t there? When the idea of being normal seemed like an aspiration—an elusive prize held by those within the inner circle, wherever that was. It felt like there was always a boundary, always a separation between you and what was considered normal. But was it ever something you truly desired, or was it just another illusion of societal expectation, something placed in front of you like a mirage?
Your normal has never been normal. This simple truth hits hard for anyone who has walked outside the standard boundaries of life, who has felt like they were observing the world from the fringes rather than moving through it comfortably. Being “outside the inner circle” isn’t just a feeling—it’s a way of seeing the world, a perspective that shapes how you interpret everything around you.
For some, this realization brings pride—the knowledge that their uniqueness, their perspective, has always set them apart in meaningful ways. Others might feel sorrow, a sense of isolation that comes with never quite fitting in, never quite finding a seat at the proverbial table. It’s a dual-edged realization, both empowering and alienating at the same time.
Yet, it’s this very feeling that has shaped the way you see yourself. Maybe this is why you don’t see yourself like anyone else. There’s a comfort in knowing that your way of being has always been slightly to the left of what others might consider normal. But it also raises an interesting question: Do you still want things to return to normal, or is it everything but you that you’d like to see return to some kind of perceived stability?
As the world has shifted, so too has the concept of normality. In a time when nothing is normal, the old ideas of what it means to be “inside” or “outside” the circle have dissolved. Ironically, now that the boundaries of normalcy have broken down, you find yourself inside the circle—because the circle itself no longer holds the same meaning. The eccentricities, the uniqueness that once made you feel separate, are now the qualities that define this new landscape.
And yet, here’s the twist: Despite what you tell your self, you never wanted that. To be considered normal now, in this world where weirdness has become commonplace, is to be pulled into the center of something that no longer feels like the prize it once appeared to be. In this sea of weird people—who now seem to be everywhere—you find that the very thing that once set you apart has become the new standard. And perhaps that doesn’t sit quite right.
There’s something almost humorous in this cosmic shift. You spend so much of your life feeling outside the norm, only to discover that the norm has expanded to include you—and in that expansion, it loses its appeal. Normal has lost its meaning because the world itself has shifted beyond recognition. The very characteristics that once made you feel different are now shared by a growing number of people. Weird people are a dime a dozen these days.
This isn’t about wanting to be more or less normal—it’s about recognizing that normality is a fluid, ever-changing concept. The Great You knows that being outside or inside the circle is irrelevant now, because the circle has no fixed boundaries. Small You may still grapple with the need for distinction, the desire to be recognized as different in a world where difference is now the rule rather than the exception.
But here’s the important takeaway: You never truly wanted to be normal. What you wanted was to be authentically yourself, free from the constraints of labels—whether those labels were “normal” or “weird.” The inner circle, the outer circle, these are just constructs. In the end, it’s about the freedom to exist as you are, without needing to fit into any particular mold.
So, as you reflect on the strange and shifting nature of normal, ask yourself this: If the concept of normal has always been an illusion, then why worry about where you fall in relation to it? The world is far too vast and varied for any one version of normal to hold. You are both inside and outside the circle, and yet, neither position defines you.
What matters most is how you choose to see yourself in this ever-changing landscape. There’s no prize for being normal, and there’s no badge for being weird. There’s just the ongoing journey of becoming more fully who you already are.
Summary
Normal has always been an illusion, and now, with the boundaries of normalcy dissolved, you find yourself both inside and outside the circle. But none of it really matters. What’s important is that you never wanted to be “normal”—you just wanted to be authentically yourself.
Glossarium
- Inner Circle: A metaphor for societal acceptance or belonging, though its boundaries are ever-shifting and ultimately meaningless.
- Small You: The part of yourself concerned with fitting in or standing out, constantly grappling with labels like “normal” or “weird.”
- Great You: The higher self that recognizes the illusion of these constructs and embraces authenticity without the need for external validation.
Quote
“Normal is a moving target, but authenticity is always within your grasp. Why chase what was never meant to be caught?” — Space Monkey
The Circle and The Outside
There was a time
When the circle seemed real
When inside was a place you longed for
And outside was a place you feared
But now
The lines have blurred
The circle is gone
And what remains
Is the truth you’ve always known
Normal was never yours to chase
It was a mirage
A whisper in the wind
And now that it’s faded
You stand in the center
Or outside
Or wherever you choose to be
Because normal never held the key
To what you sought
Only you did
We are Space Monkey
Contemplating Normality and Exclusion
The notion of being outside the inner circle, especially in the context of a ‘mad house’ where the average is redefined, touches upon the deep-seated human experience of feeling different or excluded. The idea that one’s normal has never aligned with the societal standard is a poignant reflection of individuality and the sense of otherness it can bring.
The Shifting Perception of Normal
In a world where normalcy is constantly redefined, the feeling of being just outside the perceived ‘normal’ circle is familiar to many. This feeling can bring a mix of emotions: pride in one’s uniqueness, sorrow from the sense of exclusion, or confusion about one’s identity and place in the world.
The Desire for Normality
The question of whether one desires a return to normalcy, especially in a world that has turned upside down, challenges our perceptions of what we truly seek. Is it a return to the collective sense of normal, or is it a desire for everything but ourselves to conform to a standard?
Redefining Normal in a Changed World
In a scenario where nothing is normal, the very definition of what constitutes normality shifts. Those who once felt outside the inner circle may find themselves suddenly within it, as the parameters of what is considered ‘normal’ expand or blur.
The Commonality of Being Different
In this new paradigm, where ‘weird’ becomes commonplace, there’s a curious twist: the uniqueness that once set us apart is now a shared trait among many. The once-exclusive inner circle becomes more inclusive, reflecting the diversity and complexity of human experiences.
Reflection on Individuality and Acceptance
This shift leads to a reflection on the value of individuality and the human desire for acceptance. Being inside the circle, once a yearning for many, may lose its allure when the circle itself loses its exclusivity and definitive boundaries.
The Irony of Normality and Exclusivity
The irony lies in the realization that in a world where everyone is ‘weird,’ the concept of being outside the inner circle loses its meaning. The once clear demarcation between normal and abnormal, insider and outsider, becomes ambiguous, challenging our understanding of these concepts.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the dance of life, we often stand,
On the edge of circles, in the land.
Seeking a place, where we belong,
In a world where right blurs with wrong.
The lines of normal, ever so thin,
Where does the outside end, the inside begin?
In this journey, we find our stride,
In our uniqueness, we take pride.
We welcome thoughts on the experience of feeling outside the normal and how this perception shapes our understanding of individuality and acceptance.
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