Is everyone normal until you get to know them ?

In response to last week's question, “Is everyone normal until you get to know them ?”, my neighbor Bob wrote “Growing up in the Quaker Church, one of the sayings I remember is "Everyone is sane except me and thee.....and sometimes I wonder about thee." I guess it depends on your definition of normal, which my sailing buddy Scott and humorous friend Royce also wondered, “Can you define normal?”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob asked, “Is ‘normal’ a grade in school?” My cousin Wes realized that “in a set of one, anybody is normal.”

My wise friend Richard quantified this, writing “Statistically speaking, only 68% of us are within +/- 1 standard deviation of the mean, assuming a normal distribution. By that logic, the mean would be considered the norm, hence "normal." So at best, only about 2 out of every 3 people are normal. Taking this to its logical "real world" application, if you are with two other people, and they both seem OK, well then ...

“Everyone is normal until they get to know me,” wrote my sailing friend Ivan while my birthday bud Jon zinged “We use to think you were until…..”

My quality friend Marya wrote, “Hell no; what would be the point of meeting interesting people? “ My sailing friend Jodie agreed, “Who’d want to be anyway.” My friend Tracey added, “Normal is so boring. I don't think I know one person who is normal.... thank G-d! Well, except me, who has over 500 porcelain cats. Right?” And my college roomie John said, “I prefer Abby Normal-like people!”

My dad realized that “the people I know are normal or above normal. Only people with a ‘glass half empty’ have the less than normal friends.” My insightfully observant friend David wrote, “There are definitely people who seemed totally normal when I first met them. But this is relatively rare. In contrast, there are a lot more cases of people who've seemed bizarre when I first met them, who were really just regular folks with a few strange quirks.”

My friend Patty observed, “Dysfunctional is the “new” normal. I prefer the word “interesting”. And I’m pretty sure this is a normal response.”

Please share your thoughts about “things that make you go ‘Hmmm’ “:

Why do you go “back and forth” if you really must go forth before you go back?

Live well…..laugh often….have a good week.

Hal

PS: My neighbor Dick shared a related note from Larry, the Cable Guy, "Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appearbright until you hear them speak".