A Siren Song For Normal
A young child looks up at her encouraging mother while struggling to climb a stairway, both of them envisioning a day when the little girl will be a big, normal person. An adolescent boy with a bare face gazes into a bathroom mirror, wondering when the first sign of a beard will stubble into view so he’ll be accepted as normal by his shaving friends. At a senior dance, dressed in a flowing, satin lavender evening gown, a college coed giggles with girlfriends, imagining who will be the first to marry and have kids. They long for a normal life, away from instructors, classrooms and all the annoying homework.
In the United States, the future has long promised better times ahead, with expanded freedom, proud family and career achievements, modern kitchen conveniences, better living through chemistry and an overall happier existence. A new normal. Sound familiar?
After the extended darkness and life sacrifice of World War II, 1950s America became a pinnacle of bright vision as suburbs attracted city dwellers to wide open spaces where big hair, backyard barbeques and shiny new station wagons prevailed. The carrot for women was a safe home where children could lead Leave It To Beaver lives. For men, a gold ring, hearty handshake for a job well done and a substantial pension forty years hence.
In 2022, the good old days of 1950s yesteryear recall an easier, more comfortable and cordial time where trustworthy folks smiled around every corner. Less stressed, and somehow more at peace with their existence, those retro residents and the towns they called home had what they needed, with maybe just a bit more, like two beauty parlors. The concept of frantic, ‘too busy’ schedules and serial upside down days weren’t on their radar. Slower days getting less done, time-saving appliances, and simple pleasures were as normal decades ago as virtual schooling, cryptocurrency trading and two-hour deliveries are today.
Our contemporary future vision holds the same promise as the futures of decades past as a metaverse now beckons to finally make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Artificial intelligence, genetically targeted medicines, flying electric cars and augmented reality smart glasses are on the horizon like genie vapors rising from sepia bottles on the shelves of an Arabian souk. Aromatic scents waft from potions of promise throughout dozens of modern merchant stalls. But how will we know if the future normal will live up to all the hype as the world grapples with current issues?
BETWEEN BOOKENDS
The past and future are sweet spots we’ve been stuck between forever - the past being tangible only through physical artifacts together with vague memories, and the future via hopes and dreams, plus a pinch of impatience to get there sooner rather than later. The future is often the mirage on the horizon appearing so real, yet rarely turning out as advertised on TV.
From the video Once In A Lifetime by Warner Rhino
David Byrne of the music group Talking Heads summed up an average city dweller’s future during a quirky creative review in the 1980 song, Once In A Lifetime, questioning “Well, how did I get here?”
It seems we’re caught in an endless, warped reality called “today,” where topsy-turvy events appear out of nowhere as many try catching up to the future in the present moment. For some, the challenge can be overwhelming, occasionally breaking morale to simply sigh and give in to the status quo. For others, solutions are a never-ending sequence of gray work-arounds to try and stay afloat with each shift of the news. I believe the vogue term is ‘pivot.’
In these modern times, global communities ponder when we might return to normal once the squeaky chain link gate closes on the current carnival ride. However, in order to gain solid footing in a slosh of media mud, it’s necessary to establish a clear reference point, a stable foundation to deduce what the concept of normal is and means.
WELCOME, ALIENS
Pleasantville, a fantasy community portrayed in a clever 1998 motion picture, was a state of mind prevailing amidst a status quo designed to maintain eternal safety while securing a pleasant atmosphere for everyone - forever. Residents living in perfect homes behind freshly painted white picket fences were relaxed and at ease because everything was simple, predictable and wholly removed from challenge. All the local fire department ever did was rescue kitties from trees.
Enter two ‘alien’ kids from half a decade in the future, who shake up Pleasantville’s sealed serenity. To avoid spoilers, suffice it to say a new peace was illuminated from the alien invasion. New ways of seeing self and situation were offered to Pleasantville adults, and to their squeaky clean children who never had to wash their clothes, even after a raucous game of basketball where every shot was a swish. The Gary Ross story premise became clear: To not sweat, nor break emotion is to not live life to its fullest.
The lesson from Pleasantville is one of growth emerging from friction and occasional conflict. Collapsing routine patterns of convenience can produce productive shifts by shaking up how one sees and interacts with their surroundings. By allowing change to jostle a daily routine, an individual enables a wider spectrum of color to appear, beyond the common palette the majority has agreed to. Kids are often taught in grade school the colors in a rainbow are all there is, however, what we see is but a fraction of what exists.
WAVING TOWARD THE FUTURE
What if red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet were all there was in the world? With only rainbow colored wavelengths, every one of our wireless devices would cease to function. Dentists would be unable to detect dental issues prior to the emergence of pain. Food would remain uncooked, and all aircraft would be grounded. On the bright side, with only rainbow colors, many skin cancers would disappear and spacecraft would be free of most electromagnetic radiation damage.
Radio waves, x-rays, infrared and microwaves enable all the good things above, while ultraviolet and gamma rays generally represent the villainous side. Together, the Wave family combines with visible rainbow light waves to create a future of possibilities. Today’s normal set of magic tools were impossible in the good old days, so it’s prudent to try to understand and appreciate the 1950s science fiction future we now live in, courtesy of unseen waves and particles still being discovered by quantum physicists.
The lesson from all those waves is to recognize the invisible can reshape future civilizations. Invisible ideas in the brilliant minds of a few have led to the discovery of real forces and phenomena we take for granted today. Physicist-chemist Marie Curie envisioned invisible influences of radioactivity which altered the foundation of late 19th and early 20th century physics. As many as 20,000 invisible Chinese immigrants built coast-to-coast American railroads, while invisible African, Finnish, Chinese, Scottish and Irish laborers mined coal to power burgeoning 19th century American cities. Invisible electricity has powered invisible scientific research for as long as electric current has flowed through wires.
The people, ideas and forces we cannot see can be of benefit when understood and orchestrated with compassionate care and intelligent intention. Today in Japan, South Korea and China people ride on an invisible pillow of electromagnetic propulsion, rather than atop sparking, grinding metal wheels. Few in our modern world would wish to return to the good old days when weeks of grueling travel across land was considered normal.
DOWN TO EARTH
Be grateful the Earth is spinning. Otherwise, you would weigh more. A person is 0.35% lighter at the Equator from Earth’s centrifugal force, progressively returning to normal weight at the poles where there is minimal centrifugal force. So, unless you live with Santa and his merry elves at the north pole, your normal weight is not your true weight.
The three Earth views above were captured by the U.S. / German GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite mission. Red represents areas of greater gravitational pull, while blue indicates weaker gravity, so in those locations a normal weight is illusory compared to yellow and cyan areas.
Gravity is the attracting, pulling force between two objects. The larger the object mass is, the greater gravity’s strength. Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, there are numerous regions where more or less gravity is present. What’s even more intriguing is the molten lava within Earth further causes gravity to move around, albeit unnoticeable to us humans.
One area with a more consistent gravitational pull is northern India, where the expansive Himalayan mountain range, home of Mt. Everest, appears as red. Perhaps this contributes to the exhaustive challenge brave climbers encounter when ascending this tallest mountain above sea level! So while there may be normal, established time zones (Greenwich Mean Time - GMT), and a global time standard (Coordinated Universal Time - UCT), there really is no normal global weight standard.
EVOLVING BEYOND NORMAL
As the world pines for life to return to normal, being ahead of the curve may prove to be a smarter path. But where to begin? The following are my Top 10 suggestions to evolve beyond normal and create a brighter future for yourself and those in your world:
1. Think across a wider bandwidth
aka: Critical Thinking – The skill of making informed decisions by objectively evaluating a variety of information. Critical thinkers analyze, create concepts, problem-solve, and empathize beyond a quick, zero-sum belief.
2. Allocate personal rejuvenation time
With the experience of pandemic lock downs, we all know how possible this is.
3. Learn to understand
Life is a soup of every color, including a variety of invisible wavelengths and forces.
4. Slow the edits in visual media
This is a hint to fellow television, video, and advertising producers who shape and influence the actions of viewing audiences. For the media audience: know you are psychologically influenced by breakneck editing speeds. Choose your media wisely.
5. Make more time by saying ‘No’ in a mindful, compassionate manner
If daily life is too busy, be strong and let off the throttle. People will not only notice in a good way, they may ask for your secret.
6. Explore more
Be bold to discover adventure as you did in childhood. Ask questions, send notes to people you admire, listen to video interviews while making a meal. Just because it’s a video doesn’t mean you have to sit and watch.
7. Elevate eating habits
Learn a little nutrition each week. Heath-bolstering changes happen via little steps. The key is to head in a healthy direction so your future becomes more fruitful and resilient than today.
8. Drop the mouse and get out of the house
If life hasn’t become perfect by now, more computer time may not be the solution. Journey outside where real magic happens within yourself. Give yourself the gift of free thinking without distracting flags, banners and chimes.
9. Laugh for laughter’s sake
It’s OK to be silly once in awhile. Psychological studies prove laughter replaces the stress hormone, cortisol, with dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, with dopamine enhancing learning, motivation, and overall attention.
10. Appreciate great customer service
Customer service representatives are real people, with real emotions and feelings. Be polite to make amazing things happen. Here is a recent response from a customer service representative I spoke with: “It was a pleasure to speak with you today. You were so lovely and nice to me over the phone and I appreciate it so much!” I felt wonderful reading her response.
11. More views via international news
Understand how others see the world by sourcing news beyond the normal routine. Read and watch other viewpoints from other cultures about the same event so you can assemble your own story of what’s going on. Be your own trusted reporter.
Uh oh! There are eleven items above. To break away from normality, shake things up a bit and begin rebuilding while others wait to return to normal. Being able to give a little more makes a big impression. Being flexible with your present-day rebuild is key to never being normal again, therefore never wondering when things will roll back to the way they were. Use today’s time in a more productive way to realize a brighter future with your special mark on it.
The future can only materialize from the efforts of those daring to craft and construct a new stage in the present day. The stage doesn’t need to be large, but it needs to be imagined with passion, then sketched, assembled, and stood upon for others to see by example.
CHART YOUR OWN COURSE
Release the amygdala-pumping ‘busy monkey’ and allow it to run back, arms flailing in the air with hyperactive shrieks, into the bush. The illusion of needing a constant flow of distracting activity only diffuses awareness of what’s happening within oneself. When someone is overwhelmed with extraneous mental and physical activity, they may lose sight of what is important. Decisions can become distorted, even irrational. Future outcomes may become compromised, generating additional churn, chaos and financial cost throughout one’s day and life. Time, money, interesting projects, valued friends and sometimes significant others can vaporize.
Consider the path forward as an opportunity for productive change, a chance to alleviate annoying distractions and challenges once and for all, even as it may appear heading in an opposite direction from normal.
There’s a story of a driver whose car had been making a loud sound from under the hood for weeks, maybe months. The driver, always in a rush to get ahead and beat the crowd, finally pulls their beloved sports car into a repair shop. The aggressive driver informs the mechanic of a concerning clatter under the hood to be fixed immediately.
The mechanic pops the hood and in a few minutes figures out the issue, providing a concise explanation and price, while noting the car would need to be left overnight. The frantic driver balks at the time frame and price. The mechanic rubs their chin to consider the situation. Then, with a bit of dry wit, offers a no-cost solution. “Just turn up your radio,” the mechanic says. “Fantastic! Thanks, pal,” the satisfied driver blurts, jumping back in the car to speed away from the shop with the radio blasting an Elvis tune.
Just past the first corner, smoke billows from under the car’s hood right after a bright orange flame shoots out of the grill. From the dashboard, an unflustered Elvis sings ‘hunka hunka burnin’ love’ as pedestrians watch the driver pull to the curb, scream, jump out and kick a tire.
A fire truck siren approaches. Everything is back to normal.
Subscribe and be the first to see each new blog.
