TOK Moment - Summer '08

I attended a summer program in the states, where I spent a month studying and interacting with students from various backgrounds. I took an American law course with my new friends, and it was very interesting to observe the different reactions and perspectives on various issues. The majority of students were American, yet their diverse cultural origins also contributed greatly to the experience. Many inquired about the lifes in the Middle East and what Arabs thought of certain issues. 

In class, when we studying constitutional law, our teacher asked the international students to research each of our constitutions and find the clause on the freedom of speech. I presented the Lebanese constitution and my international peers presented the Canadian, Swedish, and South African constitutions. Interestingly, all had very similar laws on the freedom of speech, but the reality in each case was different. We then researched other countries such as Sudan and discovered that most countries have very democratic constitutions. From a foreign perspective the reality of the life in a specific country greatly differs from a person actually living in that nation. 

This idea is definitely applicable to the way my friends regarded Lebanon and the Middle East. I showed them Beirut using Google Earth and they were actually surprised to not see a desert. They did not expect Beirut and IC to look the way they did, developed and urban. It's amazing to learn about different perspectives and points of view. 

This ties in to the TOK topics of perspective and even language, as the different cultural backgrounds is what provided the basis for the prevalent diversity.

Tok Moment

Sorry this was posted late, I wasn't aware of the deadline until too late. :/ I should have checked the blog. :)

A Tok Moment

The other day, in a conversation with my friends, we were commenting on something that was "weird" or not normal. Then I started thinking, "who are we to decide whether this is mormal or not? I mean I bet alot of people would refer to us as not normal."

This brought me to the question, "What defines normal?".

I soon started researching the word normal, the Oxford dictionary defines normal as "conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected". Most sources generally agreed with this definition with little deviation. The "Normality (behavior)" article on Wikipedia analyazes the validity of this statement, similar to my intentions. It states that "in behavior, normal refers to a lack of significant devialtion from the average." 

Most people would consider being normal as following the norm, what is generally accepted by society, but what makes that normal? How do we know that this is what is "generally accepted"? Most of the time, people only look at certain people when thinking of "general acceptance", how can we know that truly the majority supports this specific view? Why do certain people have the right to set standards for other to live by?

Another arguement is that if everyone follows the norm, then how would we advance as a civilization? Progress, sucess requires thinking "outside the box". History proves to us that, mostly, the people who dare break society imposed boundaries are those who are remebered and are those who have discovered something new. 

So with these facts, can we determine that being "normal" is good? Of course not!

Firstly, what is considered normal is highly contriversial, Tok taught us about perception; everyone has their own opinin, perspective on what is considered to be normal. We have no right to make generalizations for everyone. Also, could I ask of the readers of my post to take a second to visualize a world where everyone is "normal", where everyone follows preset norms. Is this a world that seems fun? My tone seems to be slightly cyncial so I would like to clarify that I do not have a problem with people following certain standards, but is it fair to call people outside the norm "weird" or "abnormal". (Guilty as charged :/ ) We all do it, everyone judges everyone else based on what they consider to be "normal", this is not a anyone's fault, we are brought up with certain ideas, and only after we grow, we realize that not everyone share the same beliefs. 

The world is an everevolving place, people will always change, norms will are always different to others. Diversity is valuable, it is essential. Interesting isn' t it how a simple, everyday comment could spark such as issue; Tok really opens our minds and forces us to critisize and think. :)

Oh, by the way, as I was researching I came across this website called  "Is it normal", you basically share a story or sentiment, and you see how other peole interpret it, if they consider it normal. This website probably is beneficial to many, but should people need to seek approval of others? One should learn to be proud and self-confident, and not rely on others' approval.

Be who you are, that is normal.

http://isitnormal.com