All my life, I've been a little different. In high school, I was the one who didn't go to parties, drink alcohol, or hook up with my boyfriends. I didn't care if I was different, if I wasn't doing what everyone else was doing, or what was considered the "norm". I never tried to "fit in" or be a part the "cool" crowd. I had no desire for that. I was confident in myself and confident in my faith and who God created me and wanted me to to be. Doing something just because "everyone else is doing it" just was and is not a good excuse for me. I actually kind of like to do the opposite of what most people are doing...I'm a rebel, what can I say-ha!
That carried on into the rest of my life. I never had the desire for a traditional church wedding. While most people wouldn't dare not have a wedding with family and friends, Matt and I eloped to Hawaii without telling a single person. Having a bridal shower and bachelorette party, and all of that was just something I had no interest in. We didn't care what friends or family thought, because we knew it was about US-what WE wanted. And it was perfect.
It's easy to go with the flow-to just accept what culture or society says is fine. But what if it's to the detriment of our mental and physical health? Wanting to be different is not about being "better" than everyone else, or "holier than thou", because God knows I ain't...it's just about sometimes not being scared to step out of the norm and be different, to want to better yourself. It's okay to be counter-cultural sometimes. The norm these days is to be unfit and unhealthy-I know that offends some people, but that is our culture. But that doesn't make it okay. It's counter-cultural to eat healthy, to be fit and in shape.
The norm these days is to veg out in front the the TV, or stare at our screens all day, and let our kids do the same. Kids these days get smart phones when they're like 8, which I just think is completely unnecessary, but it's the "norm", so it's fine, right? Let them be addicted, even though it's healthy for kids to be outdoors, active and doing things besides looking at a screen...even though studies have shown that too much screen time and always being on electronics actually changes kid's brains and can increase anxiety and depression. According to the centerforanxietydisorders.com, a 2018 population-based study by Twenge and Campbell showed that after an hour of screen time per day, “…increasing screen time was generally linked to progressively lower psychological well-being.” The researchers also noted that, “High users of screens were also significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.”
Buuttt...because it's normal and "everyone else is doing it", it's fine, right? Not to me.
It's not the norm these days for people to budget and save money, to not live off credit cards, to not to have a ton of debt. Because people want the newest car, the bigger house, the most recent i-phone. We all gotta keep up with the Joneses, ya know? It's counter cultural to live on less than you make. But it IS possible.
I read a quote the other day that said something along the lines of looking at what culture is doing and then doing the opposite. For the most part, I think that is probably a great idea. Don't be afraid to be different!
Comments
Post a Comment