Last Sunday coming from a friend’s house, I saw a round rainbow, it was very close to being round with rough edges. The main point is it wasn’t an arch. Have you ever seen a rainbow that’s not an arch?
It was beautiful! Few things in creations are as beautiful and wonderful as a rainbow. It was refreshing to see a rainbow but to see a rainbow that was round was simply an unforgettable experience. What made it unforgettable was the different shape of the rainbow. I have seen many rainbows before, none worth writing a blog about. Truth be told the round rainbow was weird.
What is the meaning of “weird”, exactly? What is weirdness?
Weird; adjective, weirder, weirdest.
- involving or suggesting the supernatural; unearthly or uncanny: a weird sound; weird lights.
- fantastic; bizarre: a weird getup.
Taken from http://www.dictionary.com
The second definition of “weird” is closer to the meaning I am interested in.
It’s the type of “weird” that gets tossed around as a label for people and circumstances we simply don’t understand. The “You don’t fit into any of my stereotypes, categories, or boxes” kind of weird.
The “weird” that defies society’s expectations.
The “weird” that most of us are afraid to discover in ourselves…or uncover to the world.
If you haven’t watched the animation movie Spies in Disguise, well let me spoil it for you. It’s about embracing your weirdness and using it to help the world. The main character Walter is a techie who makes weapons that give hugs, sprays glitter and kitten visuals. In an espionage world where bullets, grenades, and explosions are preferred everyone brands him weird and his ideas are hardly utilized. When the movie begins his mom encourages him to stay weird saying “the world needs weird”. The idea of embracing weird is intriguing to me. I like the idea of shrugging off societal conformity. It is something we need to encourage ourselves and others to do; to embrace our weird.
I know all this seems, well weird. That’s because we have conditioned throughout life to believe that weird isn’t normal, weird is bad, weird is unpopular. But think about it, weird people are the ones who make life more colorful and interesting. In my opinion, weird people lead a more fulfilling life, they dance to their tune and color outside the lines.
Like Walter’s mum in Spies in Disguise we should encourage ourselves first and then everyone to be more like Walter; to embrace their weird. This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to create and invent weapons that spray glitter and goo. What we want is to live in a world where every human being is not like the next. A world free of judgment about what makes other humans happy. A world where we remember that we all cannot be the same.
Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however, measured or far away.”
I couldn’t agree more. As long as you are not hurting others, dance to your own music. Do what makes you happy. Strive to stand out from the crowd. Stay different. Stay weird and beautiful.
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