I really liked a recent post by Adam Mastroianni about the small fact that actually “being yourself” will make you feel crazy.
So in the end I went as the real me, a normal guy who was in the process of becoming a wacko, like a caterpillar who had snuggled up inside his cocoon and was soon to emerge as a, I dunno, a teeny tiny walrus in a fedora.
The idea of a normal person transforming into something more wacky and delightful really resonates right now.
Deeper in the piece, Adam’s actual point is that conforming and sticking to tradition are very valuable survival traits. This reminds me of Episode 6 of the Drew & Natalie Have A Normal Conversation podcast:
D: I've gone feral a little bit.
N: A little bit. I mean, you've always been like a lone wolf, though.
D: A lot a bit.
N: Yeah.
D: I know people have talked about this, and I've seen people mention this, the idea of lone wolf. It's like it sounds very cool. It sounds like Airwolf, which was a very cool helicopter. Right.
N: Sure. Sure.
D: But one thing people point out is that wolves are very much pack animals. So if you're a lone wolf, it's not so much you're cool.
N: Well, that means you're a wolf with no friends.
D: Oh, that wolf is... Hey, check out that wolf. He's very sick.
N: He's been ostracized.
D: The wolf's behavior is putting the other wolves off.
Adam’s substack is an absolute treasure. Go check it out.
