Break Social Convention. Be Crazy.
The other day, I went into the men’s restroom, by deliberate choice.
I was tipsy. OK, maybe a little drunk. Those bottomless margaritas be damned!
The reason I did it, small bladder aside, was because the men’s and women’s restroom were good for one person only. No walk in to 2 or 3 stalls. Just toilet and sink. And since the women’s bathroom was already occupied, I thought to hell with it and snuck in to the men’s room.
Only I didn’t sneak in. There was a line of 1-2 other females.
I heard snickers. I heard them say “cah-raaaa-zy!”
I heard them say “when you gotta go, you gotta go.”
That’s right, bitches.
I broke social convention and pissed in the “mens” room.
Mommy wow! I’m a big girl now!
And a fucking bad ass.
When you think about it, the idea of separate rooms for individual bathrooms is stupid. They should be co-ed! Everyone knows that women have longer lines — every time and I’m going to make a guess and say that we generally have smaller bladders too (especially when alcohol is involved). Not to mention all the fuss powdering our faces and being obsessed by our reflections.
That adds up to a fucking long time to wait for some bitch to wash her hands or shove a tampon up her vulva (that’s a funny word — vulva). Except over here, in SE Asia, everyone uses pads. You literally have to go to the pharmacist to buy tampons.. What the fuck!?
But here’s a secret. The other reason I went into the men’s restroom is because I saw another girl do it earlier.
I gave her a puzzled look. She said something in a language I still don’t understand fluently (ONE DAY!). I imagined her saying “it’s ok. You can go here.” And so I did. That time, with no line behind me, it wasn’t a big deal. But the second time, without the frame of reference that the others in line missed that made me reason it was OK, it was deemed “crazy”.
“I might follow her! I have a really small bladder.” I overheard a poshy girl in chip-chirp voice say.
We are All Lemmings
Even the “unconventional” people. Think about it.
If we were as unconventional as we claim, there wouldn’t be a huge following and a book deal for Chris G. at the Art of Non-conformity.
People love to be lead and there are just way too many people quitting their jobs to travel or start freelancing to even mention it as an “unconventional” path. It’s simply a new model to replace an old one; a new way of thinking, and a new economy emerging, that will eventually become the norm.
(It’s also a really exciting time and I’m glad to be a part of it.)
All it takes is one person to start something. One person to prove that it’s even possible, and the rest will follow.
I love the example of the weird white guy dancing in an outdoor concert festival by himself (I’m not cool enough to know which one), and slowly amassing mobs of people.
(I love it even more that it happened in Portland.)
It’s an old (in internet terms) viral but its still one of the most fascinating looks into human social behavior in regards to how movements are formed. First you need the founding leader who’s crazy enough to break social convention, and then you need 2-3 people who are crazy enough to join before it picks up and snowballs into social acceptance.
Crazy people change the world. And crazy is exactly where I want to be!
Meet Rodrigo of The Brave Man Blog.
Rodrigo is a fun loving guy from El Salvidor who wishes to make it on his own in lifestyle business. Like many before him, after reading the Four Hour Work Week, he “woke up” and became hell bent on going after his dream to a freer life.
He is still stuck at a cubicle.
What’s interesting about Rodrigo is his location and culture. It’s a little overdone when Americans move to SE Asia and build businesses, and a lot more acceptable these days. But get an El Salvadoran to aspire towards the same path and he is the first “crazy” in his country to pursue it and leverage technology.
Rodrigo will lead the movement for people in El Salvador to eventually do the same!
His act of breaking social convention, in a culture more stuck to traditional values, makes him “crazy”! And truly brave.
Don’t listen to the naysayers and keep on keeping on! It’s good to be crazy!
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