I’m a weirdo! And this is not an inspiration from Radiohead’s Creep. This is my personal statement of the year. It was my personal statements for the last few years and probably will remain so in the years to come. But what makes me a weirdo? My lifestyle? My job? My ego? My friends and girlfriends? None of that? All of that?
Hard to choose! And I am not sure I could answer. None of that and all of that at the same time, perhaps. My weirdness has nothing to do with my own self as such. If you look at me, the way I live, things that I do and stuff I like or hate, from my perspective, or any individual prism around me, there’s nothing wrong or weird about it. Yet, if you look at me from a wider social perspective – I’m a weirdo – no doubts!
The thing is, I cannot really fit into any of the social patterns based on which the society in this part of the world functions for so many years, decades, or even centuries now. It’s unique. Or should I say, uniquely bizarre.
There’s a single pattern, which evolves in different forms but still remains the same, which everybody, at some point in their lives, has to join and obey. It’s simple. First you meet a girl or a guy, and then you hang around for couple of months or years with them. Next thing you want to do is you want to get engaged, and then married. Pregnancy is a must and usually happens 2 months before or after the marriage. But before that, you have to find yourself a good job, which in the Balkans means a position where you can afford working as less as possible and get a decent monthly wage. It has nothing to do with career, position, or the labour itself, as such. Nine-to-five job with weekends off and being able to take your family for two weeks annual leave in some beach would be just great. Mortgage with a high interest rate follows, and with that, a new apartment somewhere in the new fancy recently-built buildings, or, in best (read: richest) case scenario, a house in some of the trendy and hyper-expensive residential areas around the town. This is what “everybody” is doing, and why shouldn’t I? It would, if nothing else, help me limit my hobbies to walking around with my own kids and thinking of what a boring day I had at work, or, in worst cases, how to pay the next mortgage instalment.
Well, this is it folks. This is the social patter valid in most of the countries in South-East Europe and especially the newest one – Kosovo. If you think you didn’t join it yet, just wait until it happens. Of course, it comes in many variations, depending on gender, wealth and geographic locations. If you don’t see yourself living based on this pattern, you soon will. If you won’t, then you’re a weirdo, just like myself.
An ex-friend, who is at the same time an ex-girlfriend, made me watch a weird film some months ago – Pi by Darren Aronofsky. It’s a good one, although I wasn’t crazy about it. Yet, in short words, it’s a story about a weird scientist who seeks a key number that would unlock the universal patterns found in nature. Pi – the 3.14 magic number is given as an example. This film made me think about social patterns more than about natural ones. If one can challenge natural patterns, such as decimal numbers for example, and enjoy let’s say the hexadecimal system (or binary ones, like some friends of mine who do programming for living) why wouldn’t I challenge the social patterns.
Because I’m done with middle 20ies and in some years will be 30 years old? Because when I am 30 it will be quite late, or the last moment, to get myself enrolled in the pattern I have explained above?
Huh! The only good thing one can learn in a collage course called Critical Thinking is to ask the question WHY! And I am asking it now. Why should I? Why should I, let’s say, when I meet a hot chick and I’m 30 years old, think of sharing my house with her instead of wishing to get into her panties? Why shouldn’t she think the same, instead of wonder how my credit card balance is? (Let’s just not get into that) Why should I vote for a certain political party? Why should I have coffee at a place where everybody else is? Why? Why? Why?
Well, the fact that I am asking too much, is enough to qualify me as a weirdo. So be it!
P.S. I don’t edit my blogs. Mind my spelling mistakes. I don’t care!
Tags: bathman, kosovo, marriage, nothing, radiohead, sex, superman, weirdo
August 12, 2010 at 08:22 |
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