Usually hippies are called odd. But I've been thinking, the where a suit, climb the corporate ladder, ratrace lifestyle has been seeming increasingly odd to me. Not trying to be mean or anything...but do you think so called 'normal' society is a bit weird?
It is quite insane in terms of humanity. But humanity doesn't matter anymore, just ask trump and paris hilton. i sometimes feel like armand the oldest of all living vampires having trouble adjusting to the new world
No. Our society works the way it does because it works for the majority of people. By definition, if the "coorporate ladder climbing" people are in the majority, they are not weird. I see nothing strange or wrong or inferior about striving for your own personal happiness, whatever form that may take.
I admit is possible to see them as normal. I grew up that way. In normal I include alot of other things, such as the nuclear family, ect. What I mean is, I used to think 'normal' was unchangeable. That way of life was the only way, like the sky was blue, and that was it. Now I find many 'normal' people are nervous and insecure, and use various laws and oppression to affirm themselves and make everyone else inferior. As if they were afraid of competition for what is 'normal'. I find that wierd.
Do you really think its working for most people? How many "normal" people do you know that are happy about working 40+ hours a week and having no time with their families?
Either it's working for them, or they refuse to change. Either way, I see nothing changing anytime soon. I do not believe that our society is the worst in the world. Both my parents worked more than 40 hours a week and they were both happy with their jobs. If the majority of people are really miserable, they should take better control of their lives and happiness.
You did not understand what she said. Many people who work 40 hours continute to do so, just like she said, because they are either happy or it is working for them. If they wanted to be with their families more, they would find time to do so.
It's difficult to explain what I mean. I'm not saying working is bad...almost all of us have to work for a living. What I mean is, since the time I dropped out of high school, long ago, I've had an open mind. I prefer to be able to circulate where I like, within reason. Didn't think it wrong to associate with a diversity of people, from potheads to hippies, from barflys to college educated people and the country club. To learn whatever I could from whoever I could. The odd thing is, as I'm trying to get a foot in the corporate door, the dominant element of people in there seems to be very intolerant. They seem bent on me excluding all association with 'eccentric' people - which I suppose means pot smokers, leftist activists, surfers, ect. Anyone who doesn't fit exactly into the family - high school - corporation frame - teetotolar frame. This I find goofy.
I work in a bar in a small town, and although not a major company, i understand completely the goofiness you mention. There is no truth in peoples lives. I have to resign myself to being 'odd', when as far as i can see, i am the most grounded individual there. fake beauty and fake talk seem to be what work these days. People 'become' what they think they have to.
And how easy is it for most people in this society to find a way to spend a lot of time with their families and still pay the bills and put food on the table? Let's take my father for an example: my dad loves his job. He works for BMW and he's very successful. But he is always saying that he wants to spend more time with the family. So, yes, he's happy with his job, but if he could work less to have time with his family then he would. I think many people feel that way. A friend of mine is studying anthropology in college. And he said that in many tribal societies people have to work much less hours a week to provide all of the needs for their families. But in the US you can't get by unless you work at least 40 hours a week. That leaves little time for family. If people weren't so materialistic and it wasn't so expensive to find a safe place to live then people could have more time with their families. I think there should be a better balance.
I agree with alot of the posts. Funny things is, I used to feel i was the odd one, and 'normal' people were out there. Now it seems to me normal people are pretty goofy too. Since everyone is goofy, what is normal? Am I just get old, or is the world changing, or what?
I don't think being odd or eccentric is bad. I've known lots of odd and eccentric people who were decent and had wonderful souls. But I used to look on 'normal' people as a kind of anchor. No matter where you went, you were kind of orbiting around the 'normal' community. You know? It seems very uncomfortable to me that normal people don't seem normal anymore. There is no more anchor.
You're right about that... there's no more anchor because everyone has their heads too far up their own arses
