Culture Shock

When I was little, I would spend a lot of time sitting on the couch and looking out the window to daydream. I was a very imaginative (and introverted) child so some of my favorite memories were made staring out that window.

Naturally, I'd think about the school across the street. Every morning tons of kids would get dropped off and picked up every day. I wondered why I didn't go to school, but I don't remember feeling bad about it. In my mind, I was just different and back then, there was nothing wrong with that.

When I got older, I started to get flack for it. Some of my friends were homeschooled but other friends or family would label me as awkward, unsociable, too incapable, etc.

(Needless to say that got old very quickly.)

The thing that most people don't understand is that most homeschoolers don't socialize not because they don't know how to. It's probably just because they don't want to.

This goes for anyone who is unique.

I just can't help but wonder: how boring does life need to become until you begin to feel it's necessary to fit unique individuals into your own world? How plain does life need to be before this becomes your worldview?

I get it. It's a social norm to go to school. It's also a social norm to point fingers at weirdos. So I'm supposed to just roll with that and do what everyone else is doing, right?

Well, that's never really been my style. People may believe that I'm culture shocked but in reality, culture doesn't shock me at all. Culture is predictable. It's the same thing over and over again. Just look at the news. Look at the pop culture. It's the same boring stuff and it doesn't get anyone anywhere.

Culture may not shock me, but the sacrifices people make to live within bounds of society does.