Explains that laughter, misbehavior, and making mistakes are crucial to our physical and emotional well being. The author’s premise: we are meant to stay in a developmental process throughout the life cycle, staying in touch with the wonderful behavioral characteristics of the child e.g., curiosity, playfulness, experimental mindedness, plasticity and authenticity. These help us stay vital, and yes, young, regardless of our age. Otherwise, we can slip into a box long before we’re dead. That’s normal. So what happened? We got educated and acculturated. And what we learned allows us to function now as normal adults in the work-a-day world: get a job, work hard, pay the rent, get married, pay the mortgage, raise children, save for their education, save for retirement and until recently, enjoy our golden years. Being normal means … addictions abound, workaholism is rampant, 50% of marriages end in divorce, financial wealth goes up but happiness doesn’t above $65,000/year, less than half of Americans are happy with their jobs, when teenagers have problems their parents are the court of last resort, we are better at competing than collaborating, honesty is not the best policy, we repress how we really think and feel, express just what’s safe to say. we learn to be our own worst enemies! That may be normal but it certainly isn’t healthy!
Why Normal Isn’t Healthy: How to Find Heart, Meaning, Passion & Humor on the Road Most Traveled
