We all have our own idea about what's strange. What seems normal to one person might seem odd to another. There are norms in each society that most people agree upon, but even those change from one society to the next.
Given that strange is different for each person and each community, is it possible that nothing is really strange at all? That unexpected things are part of a big picture I just didn't notice until that moment. That everything fits together exactly as it should and the weird stuff comes when I try and impose my expectations on the universe?
How about undesirable behavior? Think of the person in your life that annoys you... maybe she's a coworker or he's a cousin... someone you have to interact with who makes you cringe. Now, does everyone in the whole world react the same way to that person? There must be someone who likes him or her. Are they married? Do they have a mother? Someone likes them. Or, at least likes them more than you do. And, maybe someone hates them or likes them less than you do. That person's undesirable behavior is only undesirable because you don't like it. Another person might find it admirable or brave or funny or helpful.
You have very little control over how other's behave, but you have 100% control over how you interpret their behavior. Maybe you can convince yourself that there's a nugget of useful, entertaining, comforting communication in that person. If you can, you could shift your relationship with them from annoying to tolerable or even enjoyable. All you have to do is decide that it's not so strange.
No comments:
Post a Comment