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I feel like you're trying to derail the discussion by asking random, seemingly unanswerable questions. Normality is a broad but pretty well-researched subject
by apk-d 8y ago
I feel like you're trying to derail the discussion by asking random, seemingly unanswerable questions.
Normality is a broad but pretty well-researched subject and i think it's safe to say, belief in horoscopes and other unsubstantiated supernatural phenomena ain't it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normality_(behavior) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normality_(behavior)
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- jonfw 8y agoTo say that psychedellics cause a deviation from normalcy would be correct. But if you're making that out to be a problem, than you have to support why normalcy is good and deviation from that is bad.
- alexandercrohde 8y agoTotally fair. We shouldn't just assume that "weirdness" is bad because there's a social norm against it. But I for one feel everybody around me finds "weirdness" unbecoming. I find it to be an inescapable reality that people will care about you less and not want to get you for any manner of tiny deviation (e.g. as an extreme example, just if you said "beep" outloud every 10 minutes this would be reason enough for I think half of the population or more to not want to associate with you) In my friends case though, I think what scared me the most was he became very unclear/metaphorical in speaking about even basic topics and didn't seem to realize how much trouble people had understanding him.
- marssaxman 8y agoSounds like a person in the grip of a big idea, wrapped up in their own thinking. That can be a pain to deal with but it tends to be self-correcting. If someone stops communicating with people effectively, others will withdraw, and that isolation eventually causes pain. Eventually the person who's off in their head will start to notice their needs are not being met, and as they search for a way to return to earth to get what they need, they'll have to do the work themselves to understand others and present their new ideas in a coherent and sensible way. Pulling away from a friend who's talking nonsense can sometimes be the most loving thing to do.
- apk-d 8y agoI feel like some people are (unfortunately, expectedly) overinterpreting my statement as "normal > abnormal" instead of intended "extremely abnormal deserves extreme scepticism". Keep in mind that I'm an avid psychedelics supporter myself. Still, I see no excuse for superstition.
- BeeOnRope 8y agoThe first definition in the very first sentence of the article you linked contradicts you. It defines normal behavior as "consistent with the most common behaviour for that person" (emphasis mine). That is, the first definition definitely doesn't depend on other people, but simply what is common for the individual. In that way, "normality" is flexible: if you change your behavior in a consistent way, your new behavior is normal by that definition. You didn't become "abnormal" you simply redefined your normal. Now the article goes on to mention that you could also define this relative to a larger population, etc, which supports your point - but the very fact the headline definitely doesn't align with your claim shows that this is not as straightforward as you make it out to be.
- apk-d 8y agoI don't think making this about definitions brings anything to the discussion. I meant to appeal to common sense. If your friend starts to see magic auras and find other patterns where there clearly aren't any, that's well past the point where you show concern instead of entertaining his worldview.