To The Crazies

I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit, where we all fit in the world.  What place do we fill?  What are we supposed to be doing?  And I think I’ve come to realize, surprise surprise, that maybe I’m a bit on the odd side.  It took me quite a bit of time to figure this out, not only because I am one of the most oblivious people on the planet (growing up, I used to think we were almost as rich as Bill Gates because I had been on an airplane and we had sidewalks next to our house and we owned a car when most of the people I went to school with didn’t- turns out I was a tad bit off), but also because…I think I’ve always been surrounded by people who were sort of like me.  At least in one way or another.  Or maybe they just made me feel less crazy, most of the time.  Or maybe we were all just crazy together.  Maybe we all brought out the crazy in each other.

But here’s the thing. I think it takes a lot of crazy to do most of the great things in the world.  Because, it IS crazy, by definition.  That’s the point right? Crazy is an arbitrary definition we’ve placed on something that our collective conscience doesn’t think is possible.  Until someone decides that the collective conscience is wrong and hey, I’m going to prove it.  We call that crazy.  But 20 years later, we call that pathbreaking.  Revolutionary.  Genius.

And maybe that’s the side we talk about a lot.  The really awesome stuff that the crazies do.  But there’s also another side, the every day side of it.  And that’s a little bit touchier, scarier, and…less fun.  Because if we look at that life in its entirety, it looks awesome and amazing.  But you look more granularly, the day by day of it, it’s not as rosy.   It’s downright tough sometimes– even if it’s on purpose.  Which then brings you to question yourself, your place in the world, and the biggest concern I’ve heard most people in my peer group wonder, “Am I going to end up alone?”

Am I going to end up alone?  Is my brand of crazy going to make me end up alone?  If we’re honest with ourselves, that’s probably the biggest fear most of us have.  And sometimes I think it causes us to try and..be less crazy. Whatever that means.  But I think many times, it has a detrimental effect on the world- it means you don’t get to be you, in your best, craziest form.  And I know, from personal experience, that being yourself, in its entirety  isn’t always conducive to fitting in on a daily basis.  Yes, it causes me concern as well.

But I think at the end of the day, I fundamentally believe that there is no other way to be, and I don’t think anyone should feel scared or ashamed of being that person.  Because what’s the point of living if you can’t be true to yourself?  What’s the point of living if you have to hide who you are, and deny yourself the chance to be at your happiest?

A very smart person I know told me something I really liked.

“I’ve always said that everyone is crazy, it’s just picking your favorite kind. That’s just my way of saying, you’re definitely crazy. No question. The trick is just spending your time around people who value that kind of crazy.”

So really, if you aren’t being your amazing crazy self, how can anyone even figure out if they want to spend the rest of their time with that sort of crazy?

I don’t think this post would be complete without one of my favorite quotes of all time.

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

-Steve Jobs

So here’s to the crazies.  Sending lots of love your way.