A Case for Weirdness
Let's get one thing clear; I'm weird.
Science fiction and fantasy entrance me, absurdity delights me, and awkwardness plagues me.
I'm a grown woman who dresses in Star Wars clothing, plays Dungeons & Dragons, devours and creatively regurgitates information, and interacts most comfortably with animals and people under the age of 12.
Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed that I shake like a lap dog whose about to piddle at your feet, only, thank the governing forces of the universe, I manage full control of my bladder.
In certain situations, I can fake normal like a pro, but some encounters, like visiting my crush for example, absolutely deteriorates this ability. I have foot in mouth disease that controls every communicator on my body. So when I mean to sweetly say, "Hey handsome," I instead blurt out something like, "Don't ever stand behind an elephant who is self deworming, because they give themselves explosive diarrhea." True fact, but that is not the point. The point is, as my civilized brain begs me to stop, my mouth refuses.
Like, why would a grown man from Rochester NY, who does not work at the zoo, ever find himself behind an elephant!? And why would I ever say that to another human being!!? But most importantly, what in the world makes me think that sort of thing!!!?
In proper Amanda style, I'm dying to actually answer these questions with a mix of scientific facts and bizarre speculation, but I will spare you the nonsense for today.
Instead, I am going to present a case for weirdness to encourage all of my fellow eccentrics to embrace your oddities. Let's look at some of the enchanting qualities that us weirdos possess, and mention some incredible people who prove that embracing our peculiarities can lead us to greatness.
1. Uniqueness
Oh the joy of language, as it allows us to rearrange everything we are with one breath. Weirdness is uniqueness. This is not smoke and mirrors, it's truth. Take Jim Carrey, for example. Dude is the epitome of weird. However, he channeled all of that weirdness to provide uniqueness in his niche and became one of the highest paid Hollywood actors. Aaaalrighty then... let's move on.
2. Ingenuity
Psychological research suggests that people with higher IQ scores are less likely to adhere to social norms than people with a lower IQ, thus making them weird by societal standards. So if you're a genius, you're probably breaking all sorts of rules that the cool make. For instance, when you hear mathematician, you probably attribute the title to a boring person who always follows the rules. But, Pythagoras, the founder of c=a2+b2, otherwise known as the Pythagorean theorem, was quite different. This genius walked the road of the outliers, serving as a Greek shaman, establishing his own religion (Pythagoreanism,) and insisting in his teachings that beans (yes, the magical fruit) are evil. Wonderfully weird, and over 2,500 years later, our little ones still learn his mathematical theory.
3. Genuinity If you meet somebody who strikes you as odd, befriend them, because you know they are genuine. We see people as strange only because they refuse to behave unnaturally for the sake of conformity; they stay true to themselves. And a person who stays true to them self will most likely stay true to you too. What better person to substantiate this claim than Honest Abe? Our 16th president of the United States was one strange cookie but, oh, so sweet. Lincoln apparently loved animals to the extent that he fed the family cat at the dinner table with a golden spoon, and issued an order of reprieve during a cabinet meeting to save a Thanksgiving turkey. Moreover, rumor has it that he performed seances at the White House. However odd he may have been, everybody who knew him spoke of his genuine nature, and that legacy stuck.
4. Creativity
The very essence of creativity derives from a place that thinks beyond the norm. To name one of the many strange creative souls, Nikola Tesla, poet, performer, and electrical engineer, figured out to harness electricity and possessed a photographic memory. Tesla often sought solitude, saw visions which he confused with reality, developed germaphobia, and carried out obsessive compulsions. Nonetheless, his creativity soared, and today we enjoy the fruits of his visions.
All four people are/were pretty great, and you, the weirdo reading this, probably are too! Thesaurus.com's first three antonyms listed for weird are common, boring, and dull. I want no part of any of those. But I do aspire to possess all four of the qualities possessed by some of the world's weirdest, and most brilliant minds. Don't you!?
Be weird and find somebody to be weird with; weirdness is wonderful! And, let's face it, if we suppress all the wonders that make us weird, then who even are we?
