It is perfectly obvious that the world is the great
place it is because of all the contributions of weird people. If everyone
were exactly the same, there would be a dreadful shortage of haggis. Not
to mention that if they were all like me, nobody would ever get anything
done because we'd spend seventeen hours a day Talking About Stories. Or
maybe more.
Too often people seem to think that it is necessary
for people to conform, conform, conform. In some cases, of course, such
as a sinking airplane, this is plain good sense. In other cases, however,
it is stifling myriad possibilities.
Two books that I have long loved, The Swing in
the Summerhouse and The Diamond in the Window, both by Jane
Langton, show wonderful examples of these. (Let me warn those of you who
do NOT know me now, that I can and will draw parallels between anything
and Something I Read In A Book at the slightest provocation.)
In The Swing in the Summerhouse, the main
characters were given an opportunity to travel to a place where they could
experience being grown up. However, this gateway was not quite finished,
and instead of growing up properly, they stiffened into one thing and were
unable to change until they became statues. Although I read it first, this
was actually a sequel to The Diamond in the Window, in which Eleanor
and Eddy (the protagonist siblings) among their many adventures enter a
mirror where they explore possibilities for their futures. First they take
a way which narrows and narrows until they have no choice but to go on
to a truly terrible reflection of themselves if they wish to proceed. They
end up running away, lost in the darkness, until they come almost to the
beginning again. This time they take a different route, which instead of
narrowing (from two choices to one) widens (from two choices to lots).
Nearly all the great advances in society, science,
or literature were generated by people who, according to the social mores
of their time, were genuine certified weirdos. A weirdo is no bad thing
to be; sometimes looking at a situation from a different angle can give
you an idea for a solution to something that may have been bothering you.
And then again, of course, it's just fun.
#WEIRD# stands for Weird Entities In Rightful Domination.
This "domination" is not, as some of you may be thinking about now, a desire
to Take Over The World. Who wants to do all that work? Not taking
it over -- that might actually be fun -- but I don't think we could just
give it back when we were done taking it over and say, "It's been real.
Ja ne!" And ruling it would take up time that might be better spent doing
fun and weird things, such as walking through the streets of downtown in
an evening gown eating butterscotch and reading Leave it to Psmith
while singing "Uchuu wa Taihen Da!"
(I have not actually done the above, due to lack
of an evening gown and not having quite memorized the song yet.)
No, dear Reader, "domination" refers to two much
older meanings. The first refers to letting your inner weirdo free of the
inhibitions you may have locked it in, to take its triumphant place at
the head of your personality. And if your inner weirdo is completely normal,
do it anyway -- because a "completely normal" inner weirdo is REALLY weird.
And the second meaning, as can be seen from the
beginning paragraphs of this page, is that life is essentially weird. Weird
entities, therefore, are automatically in "domination" because of this
essential weirdness of being. It is only certain human customs which have
attempted to take some particular form of weirdness and hold it up as The
Normal Standard Behavior Paradigm, and claim that all other forms of behavior
are somehow less, or not good, or otherwise diametrically opposed to TNSBP.
This, of course, is one of the weirdest phenomena known to humanity. (Seconded
only by the belief that one's own sexual pattern is The Right Way To Be
and the belief in utter dualism.)
The weird stuff I myself have personally done includes:
<4 sisters> Are you talking about US?
<me> No, you're normal. You should meet Kätzele and
Lisishka.
<K & L> HEY!
<me> Oh boy....
If you wish to join #WEIRD#, be welcome! Just add
it to your signature file in e.mail, or add it in spirit if you have no
e.mail account. We always welcome new members... and we always strive to
share in good fellowship and companionship the little knowledge that we
have.