MEMO FROM NARA

‘Abnormality’ means departure from the norm. What is normal for one person is sometimes abnormal for another person. The so-called ‘norm’ is determined by a group of people like the society. The ‘norm’ may differ from one individual to another individual or one society to another society. Many a time anyone can notice abnormality in behavior, activity, conversation, style and health in a group of people. In other words, everyone can not behave, act or converse in the normal manner. There will be always deviations from the normal activity. It is a known fact. But still we know that abnormal people are not the majority in a disciplined society. If we take health and fitness for example, abnormality is caused by physical and mental diseases. Such abnormalities are brought down by medical doctors. Someone misbehaves in a public place is considered to be an abnormal person.

Anyone who is intelligent like Einstein, Newton or Darwin is also abnormal according to us. Similarly anyone who is a champion in sports, politics, or business is also abnormal. So abnormality should not be looked down. The number of such abnormal people is minority in number in human population; whereas the so-called normal people are the majority who are within the hold of law and order. Still the diversity we find among us is the cause for our progress in Planet Earth. We know that people differ in their interests and intelligence. Depending on such differences they act for the improvement of our society by creating useful infrastructure. We do not call them ‘abnormal people.’ They are in a sense abnormal because they are a step above the normal people. When we hear the news that someone has committed suicide, or a student has killed a teacher, or someone shot dead the students of a school or college, or a terrorist has planted a sticky bomb in a car to kill the occupant – we get a shock because they are abnormal activities which we never expect to happen, but still they happen. That is why they are abnormal.

Nobel Prize winners, National award holders and billionaires are also abnormal people. Abnormal people, activities, structures, gadgets always make news because they rarely happen. Hence abnormality is a rare affair in our society. Good abnormalities have to be admitted because of their beneficial aspect, at the same time we need to discourage the bad abnormalities because they are injurious to the welfare of our society.

Abnormality is a term used extensively in the science of psychology. A mad man/woman is an abnormal person. Understanding the cause of madness is the job of a psychologist who tries to capture the real reason for the madness and apply his knowledge and experience to bring back the abnormal person to normality. So is the case with all diseased persons. In fact, medical science serves the society to bring down the number of abnormal people as for as health is concerned.

Therefore be normal by controlling some of your desires or be abnormal to achieve some of the unachieved goals. But never be a ‘bad’ abnormal person at all.