Poll: Do you think of your life as normal?

[Shoggoth2588]

Compared to OP, no. I've never been on fire or travelled that much...if anything I'm a Newman to someone else's Kramer. I don't really do anything outside of work or gaming or whatever unless I'm invited out, otherwise I'm in a sort of set routine...or rut.

 

[the December King]

Yes, but it's more of a taken for granted, boring, unconscious acceptance of a sort of status quo/peripherally shielded by my peer group. When I give it a passing thought, I feel pretty 'normal'.

But to be honest, when I do stop and think about it, I usually come away with the humbling notion that I am a very, very fortunate individual. Not, like, the 1% fortunate, but still. And I have my trials and problems, but that in perspective they pale compared to many, many others. So, I try not to interject when others less fortunate are trying to talk about it or explain their point of view (or just complain), I definitely try not to mansplain (not that I've ever thought of myself as able to advise anyone in real life), and do my best to listen.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

Yes, but it's more of a taken for granted, boring, unconscious acceptance of a sort of status quo/peripherally shielded by my peer group. When I give it a passing thought, I feel pretty 'normal'.

But to be honest, when I do stop and think about it, I usually come away with the humbling notion that I am a very, very fortunate individual. Not, like, the 1% fortunate, but still. And I have my trials and problems, but that in perspective they pale compared to many, many others. So, I try not to interject when others less fortunate are trying to talk about it or explain their point of view (or just complain), I definitely try not to mansplain (not that I've ever thought of myself as able to advise anyone in real life), and do my best to listen.

Same here.
While I don't appreciate if all the time, I am rather well-off and that puts me in a more comfortable position than most. Myself and my family (I live at home as well as about 60% or 70% of my friends I'd say) are financially stable, not something most of my friends can say, all my family members love each other which is apparently a rarity with most of my friends (most of them have some sort of issue with at least one of their parents, ranging from not so bad to some sort of abuse), I've never suffered tragedy or heartbreak and I've never been romantically involved with anyone, which throws most people, at least where I live, for at least a small loop. And while my life has not been completely devoid of pitfalls, they're usually at a minimum and relatively easy compared to what I've heard.

I hope none of that sounds like showing off, I'm not trying to, I do my best not to take all that for granted and I'm aware that I'm probably for ill-prepared for, well, life, but similar to this:

Point is that this bizarre eventful existence makes me feel very alien and like I don't get people at all

I have the opposite problem, my comfortable life amidst the turmoil (not lie Rwanda genocide turmoil but you get what I mean) around me sometimes makes me wonder what it is about me that they appreciate when our foundations and life paths are so different. It doesn't keep me up at night, just passing thoughts, but it's just something I wonder about.

I also don't try to explain things and do my best to listen, because I never know what to say when people open up to me, it's so out of my experience.

 

[09philj]

Considering the stuff that my Facebook friends list posts, my life is not normal and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Marik2]

My non normal life has become normal for me

 

[Just Ebola]

Well, I'm a 22 year old male and one of my greatest joys in life is drinking red wine from a measuring cup and petting my cat. So I guess I'm not really setting the world on fire as far as exciting things. But that's not to say I haven't had some hilarious and bizarre misadventures in my life, like the time my friend picked up a hitchhiker who turned out to be an aspiring rapper who called himself "All Flowz" who insisted on playing his demo CD and making jokes about stealing the car.

My outward appearance is a bit unconventional, I'm one of those pierced, tattooed long hair having hoodlums who refuses to wear clothes that don't have holes in them. But inwardly I'm about as normal as it gets, I enjoy a peaceful, uninterrupted life.

But I am moving to South Dakota later this month to start a new job, so maybe I'm more adventurous than I give myself credit for.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

A couple years ago I'd have said yes.

Now? Not quite.

I mean, I'm still an ADD aspie struggling to close out my last few classes in university, who spends a lot of time gaming, but recently my life's been expanding in unusual directions.

Met a good LARP crowd, got into some other interesting personal stuff where I met more neat people, got a small fan following for my hobby RPG projects, almost got a writing position at an indie studio (and apparently was almost picked over the actual historian they got in the end), found out a game I made got a page on TVtropes, etc.

So...I'm not living some crazy life, but I think I've got enough unusual things going on that it no longer qualifies as "normal". Which suits me just fine. Normal is boring. I'm happy with my non-normal life being my new normal. It's been great.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Not much relatably. Not in any way that could be perceived as a positive anyhow. Am just trying to scramble what's left into a vaguely coherent, dignified pile to pretend everything is fine until it collapses again. Current work in progress to achieve a self-perpetuating semblance of normality and not to scare others away as is proven to have done before. Perhaps isolation is necessary to salvage what is desired from life before it is completely thrown to the wind. Not quite pleasant to know that something is malfunctioning inside and will always be judged by others that maintain normality enough to collect those material possessions and an honest sense of home/family. I would like to feel stability like that at some point.
Some things are accepted that may never work out like they do for others. Maybe there are ways of embracing it, am still figuring a lot out.

 

[WolfThomas]

Yes. I have a pregnant wife. A dog. A house. A steady job. A mortgage. Health insurance. Income protection. The only unusual thing is perhaps how stable my life is and the high quality of the job, home etc for someone my age (28).

With all the current uncertainty for millennials my situation could be considered abnormal.

 

[Charli]

The fact that there are elements of my life I can recount to people step by step in several instances and have them not believe me already reminds me constantly that there's stuff about my life that is not normal.

It's a pain.

Maybe I should write a book if I can get over my mental depression. I certainly am trying.

 

[FalloutJack]

In comparison to any number of a million things that could possibly be happening right now?

Yes, it's pretty normal.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

If being in debt is inherently Canadian, I'm amongst the normal student debt crowd. I flit inbetween introvert and extrovert at the blink of a switch so I suppose that makes me slightly different.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

There've been some...interesting events, but, for the most part? Yeah, pretty damned normal.

Mostly uneventful. Won't go into specifics as it'd take quite a while and I'm workin'.

Currently? Pretty calm. But depressing.

I suppose everybody has a plethora of relatively unique stuff that happens to them, so I question the idea of "normal" as it relates to life experience.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Yes. I have a pregnant wife. A dog. A house. A steady job. A mortgage. Health insurance. Income protection. The only unusual thing is perhaps how stable my life is and the high quality of the job, home etc for someone my age (28).

With all the current uncertainty for millennials my situation could be considered abnormal.

You should go country G.P. and epitomize the ultimate stereotype of being a doctor. To reinforce the normality. If I studied a MBBS I would have put in for my pilot's licence and gone into the Royal Flying Doctors. Those jobs seem so cool ... instead I get stuck in a lab looking at human brain tissue and fMRIs.

Why is there no action-y neuroscience jobs? Where I get a cool uniform and get to explore the frontiers of Earth? I mean, sure... I'm journeyibg to find out the very mechanics of the brain, mind, and beyond ... but it sounds way cooler on paper than it is in reality.

Knew I should have studied biology and oceanography...

 

[McElroy]

For quite awhile I thought the so called normal stuff will just come about automatically, but then as a teenager - probably missing out on a lot of typical teenage stuff despite not being an asocial type - I decided normal would definitely NOT be for me, that I'm NOT settling down for years and years and instead I'll opt in for everything I can at least once and be some sort of creative type. Then reality denied me the the university spot I wanted, and a year (because of mandatory military service) later I took a much "lesser" educational path (media) which lulled me for years and now I've graduated with a degree I don't want and have no plans of utilizing.

So that's probably not normal... but it leaves me in a typical situation of a millennial man. Lonely, financially dependent, and lazy too. I've come to realize even "abnormal" or maybe simply eccentric people may have or want normal goals and progression in their lives while having dreams that suit their plans. Right now I have none of that (though I am working on it - it just feels very distant, hazy). What I do have is unhappiness and envy towards almost everyone.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

It's definitely 'normal' to the point of being dismally boring to most right now, but it started off on some crazy tangents. Went to school in 3 different countries, changed school about 7 times before hitting high school. Did software engineering at uni, smoked dope and had long hair, then cut it and got into karate, moved states and worked for the police, got into modifying cars and weekend track days for awhile, finally ended up as an administrator in a school. Soooo...yeah it's a bit all over the place. Right now it's pretty damn normal, happily married, great apartment, though I don't want kids and I'm hoping to get out of the current rut which has lasted approx 10 years.

[Edit: I guess the weirdest thing about my life is it came from a somewhat druggie-ish lifestyle, playing in bands and getting wasted, to working in positions of authority (police force, school principal). Most people who knew me from my earlier days just laugh when I told them what I was doing.]

 

[WolfThomas]

You should go country G.P. and epitomize the ultimate stereotype of being a doctor. To reinforce the normality. If I studied a MBBS I would have put in for my pilot's licence and gone into the Royal Flying Doctors. Those jobs seem so cool ... instead I get stuck in a lab looking at human brain tissue and fMRIs.

Why is there no action-y neuroscience jobs? Where I get a cool uniform and get to explore the frontiers of Earth? I mean, sure... I'm journeyibg to find out the very mechanics of the brain, mind, and beyond ... but it sounds way cooler on paper than it is in reality.

Knew I should have studied biology and oceanography...

I am a country GP now. Part of the reason I can afford a nice house/mortgage. Higher than the local average income with cheaper housing prices than the city. I guess some of my day to day stuff isn't normal, but I'm mostly 9-5pm. I can see the appeal of RFDs but I've never liked the more stressful situations.

I think most jobs would be much more bearable if there was a cool uniform.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I am a country GP now. Part of the reason I can afford a nice house/mortgage. Higher than the local average income with cheaper housing prices than the city. I guess some of my day to day stuff isn't normal, but I'm mostly 9-5pm. I can see the appeal of RFDs but I've never liked the more stressful situations.

I think most jobs would be much more bearable if there was a cool uniform.

Country doctor would be awesome. Then you can be that pillar of the community type. And I mean that in a good way ... by knowing so many of the local residents you can do more than look after their physical state and actually help reduce their stress of living aswell ... like if you know the town has a problem with childhood obesity, perhaps nudge the local representative and council how it will save more money longterm if they improve local recreational facilities. Or you might help organise a community 'healthy picnic' thing.

I feel like as a GP you can do more in the country than you can in the city. I mean, sure ... you'll get more patients but you can't do the subtle social stuff that rural doctors can. And I think that would be half the ... I don't know ... enjoyment? Maybe more 'fulfillment' of being a doctor, at least for me.

No matter how coldly clinical a GP is, I've never met one that didn't at least have some resonating agreement with the idea of 'holistic wellness' in a sense.

I would also settle for a job where I can wear a bikini instead of a uniform or generic labcoat. Labcoats are never flattering. It's like the ultimate nerd wear, and no ... not because scientists wear them. Big pockets, strategically placed pen and notepad holder, standardised button configuration for optimal coverage-mobility mix. Perfectly utilitarian.

At least they're better than the cleanroom suits, however...

Whereas a marine biologist in a swimsuit who has brought a laptop to the beachside cafe nearby a research site? That's the life. I don't need money, I just want to capacity to make the most of my fleeting youth while I can pretend my decadent ways are contributing to some social good.

Is that too much to ask? Probably ... guess I'll go back to the university's underground labs and sulk...

I suppose if everyone only picked jobs they loved humanity wouldn't get very far. You need research monkeys (literal and figurative), you need orderlies, you need road workers ... then again road workers get paid more than I do for the number of hours so one has to question how much happiness should one be expected to sacrifice for the greater good. I take solace in the fact that transhumanism is a few decades away and by that time my services will be hugely in demand. I am at the forefront of human evolution. At least that's what I tell myself as I cry myself to sleep.

People keep telling me that being future ready is key to future happiness, but I don't think that's true. I think I'll equally be miserable and would happily settle for a career where I could afford a simple beach shack in the middle of tropical nowhere. Doesn't even need to be right on the beach, just close enough. Where I can know everybody's name in the nearby village of 900 people. And where we can mutually sling curses at the inevitable tide of tourists every holiday period, even though we need them to remain economically afloat.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Part of the reason why for me is also the mindset I adopted growing up. I guess you could call it cynical realism. I never really pursued dreams of being a rockstar, best selling author or a renowned actor. I saw the "follow your dreams no matter what" mindset as rather infantile. All those articles about books being a dying medium, the music business being ruthlessly exploitative and competitive got to me I guess. The passion or drive just wasn't in me. Instead I embraced the small mindset: being happy with what I've got, taking delight in smaller things (taking a shit is definitely underrated as small pleasures in life go) and living a more low-key life.

 

[WolfThomas]

Country doctor would be awesome. Then you can be that pillar of the community type. And I mean that in a good way ... by knowing so many of the local residents you can do more than look after their physical state and actually help reduce their stress of living aswell ... like if you know the town has a problem with childhood obesity, perhaps nudge the local representative and council how it will save more money longterm if they improve local recreational facilities. Or you might help organise a community 'healthy picnic' thing.

I feel like as a GP you can do more in the country than you can in the city. I mean, sure ... you'll get more patients but you can't do the subtle social stuff that rural doctors can. And I think that would be half the ... I don't know ... enjoyment? Maybe more 'fulfillment' of being a doctor, at least for me.

No matter how coldly clinical a GP is, I've never met one that didn't at least have some resonating agreement with the idea of 'holistic wellness' in a sense.

I would also settle for a job where I can wear a bikini instead of a uniform or generic labcoat. Labcoats are never flattering. It's like the ultimate nerd wear, and no ... not because scientists wear them. Big pockets, strategically placed pen and notepad holder, standardised button configuration for optimal coverage-mobility mix. Perfectly utilitarian.

At least they're better than the cleanroom suits, however...

Whereas a marine biologist in a swimsuit who has brought a laptop to the beachside cafe nearby a research site? That's the life. I don't need money, I just want to capacity to make the most of my fleeting youth while I can pretend my decadent ways are contributing to some social good.

Is that too much to ask? Probably ... guess I'll go back to the university's underground labs and sulk...

I suppose if everyone only picked jobs they loved humanity wouldn't get very far. You need research monkeys (literal and figurative), you need orderlies, you need road workers ... then again road workers get paid more than I do for the number of hours so one has to question how much happiness should one be expected to sacrifice for the greater good.

I take solace in the fact that transhumanism is a few decades away and by that time my services will be hugely in demand. I am at the forefront of human evolution. At least that's what I tell myself as I cry myself to sleep.

It's quite good. Though I do live in a different town to the one I work in partly to avoid seeing people I know all the time. I do like health policy and prevention. Though I'd have to cut down on the hours I'm working (darn mortage and impending baby).

You do do a lot in rural general practice, a lot of hands on stuff, trauma, a lot more management of trickier conditions city doctors could handball to specialists, though you also see the effects of the "tyranny of distance" when you do need high level advice and investigations (we have a particular shortage in terms of rheumatology and neurology where I am). We've had some doctor numbers decrease so there's no shortage of patients.

It took me a while to realise I'm my own boss in General Practice and therefore no one can tell me what to wear, so now it's chinos, polo shirs and desert boots in summer, sweaters in winter. I like wearing formal wear in my personal life, but tucked shirts are ridiculously annoying when you get in and out of a chair 4-8 times an hour. Scrubs were fun in hospital but I could never shake the feeling I was wearing pajamas to work.

Well who knows if most people will even have jobs in the future or it will be like the Expanse with whatever percent of the population on basic income.

Transhumanism is very interesting. I'm excited about a number of recent diabetic medications (like exenatide) and their possible applications in safe weight loss for people without diabetes. Older GPs scoff at the idea of a medication to fix weight loss but hey we've cured hepatits C recently. Vaccines were and still are awesome. HIV patients take like 1 tablet a day with no side effects and normal lifespans. We're making some pretty great advancements.