Saturday, 10 November 2012

The Problem with Being Strange.

Just to elaborate further on the last point of the previous post:

The opinion was expressed to me recently that being strange is better than being ordinary. Well, I tend to agree, but it can lead to difficulty.

Suppose something somebody is doing is getting seriously on your nerves, and you ask that somebody to make a minor adjustment in their habits, something that entails neither cost nor effort on their part, and all they can say in reply is ‘I don’t see what the problem is,’ even when you’ve explained the practical aspects of it alone five freggin’ times already. You can’t then skip to the bottom line and say ‘Well, actually, the real problem is that you’re strangling the magic that used to enrich my world.’ Can you? No, because they will simply look at you oddly, become even more entrenched in their certainty that you’re being not only unreasonable but completely bonkers, and carry on doing the very thing you need them not to do, utterly convinced that they’re in the right and you’re in the wrong.

That’s the problem with being strange.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ugh, yes, I have the same problem. I've been told I'm an HSP ( Highly Sensitive Person), too high strung, a pain in the ass, and yes, strange. I agree on both counts; being strange can lead to difficulty and it is preferable to being ordinary. Just try to avoid other people as much as possible.
NY

JJ said...

I took the HSP test on the internet once and passed with flying colours, so I'm probably one, too. It fits.

There's a problem with avoiding people, though, because:

1) Sometimes people come clodhopping (good northern English term) through my world whether I want them there or not, and whether they're a suitable type or not.

2) I err on the side of extroversion, so I need some contact with people. Finding the right ones is the problem.