What is Normal?

I’ve asked that question of one of my therapists and she accused me of being cagey.  But I really did want to know.  What is the absolute definition of normal; who is truly a normal person?  What role model is there to demonstrate normality?  Since, in many people’s eyes, truth is relative not absolute, then the truth that defines normality is just as relative. 

For a schizophrenic it’s normal to hear voices, however, the rest of the world who doesn’t hear them says it’s not normal, BUT the world runs after gurus who say they have spirit guides or aliens that tell them secret information.  For a hebephrenic it’s normal to have disorderly thoughts and live in a dream world, however, the rest of the world says it’s unhealthy, BUT the world hails the successful fiction writers for their great imaginations or great artists and even geniuses are excused from being organized.  And what about actors, who spend their entire lives pretending to be other people and encourage living in fantasy?  I can see the hypocrisy, even if no one else can.

Does normal go by what the majority says, or by how much talent or money a person has, or is it relative to each individual?  How can one determine what is normal for another person?  Humans define normal by exalting themselves up as examples, but when you get into the closets of their lives, you can find some seriously crazy things.  So, what is normal?

It’s my opinion, that not one person living now can set themselves up as perfectly normal.  If we look at the movie stars, we’re going to be sorely disappointed.  I’ve read where there is one male movie star who was raised in a typical Midwest family and seems to be normal and healthy on the outside, but he has an underarm fetish – he sniffs the underarms of women he dates.  Now, in my eyes, that is NOT normal.  I’m sure he has days when his armpits stink, too.  Let’s turn to psychology.  Carl Jung, one of the founding fathers of psychology, had a spirit guide, named Philemon, that told him about human personality.  He heard voices, he was, by his own professional standards, a schizophrenic.  That’s why he never told his colleagues that he heard the voices.  So, how trustworthy are his theories (which are just beliefs and guesses NOT facts)? 

My own psychiatrist told me there are no scientific tests (like blood tests) that can prove mental illnesses.  They would have to take brain fluid and that is too dangerous.  Yet the drug companies who make psych drugs are making a fortune off of unscientific guesses and relative beliefs.  The DSM which is the “Bible” of the psych industry, has so many different “disorders” with overlapping symptoms it could take years to find out if someone truly has a specific disorder or if it’s just a circumstantial issue like the weather or financial hardship, and yes even eating foods your body is intolerant of or allergic to, such as soy, genetically modified foods, or gluten.  (Go to www.alcat.com and find out about the food intolerance/allergy test they have developed.)  Much of our depression and anxiety is circumstantial, not medical.  But the greedy drug companies don’t want anyone to find out.  So, people, think about it, who is really normal, the greedy Rx lords, or the ones trying to warn people about the mentally ill Rx lords?  Greed is stupid and makes people do stupid things.  If it weren’t for greed, there would be no need for organizations who stand up for the rights of the common people.  But unfortunately we do not live in a normal world because the world has accepted greed as normal and it’s not.  So, what is normal?