The value of normalcy

              

Normalcy- It is a difficult term to define. It is a deceptive term. It is as complicated as simple it appears. Actually it took a little time for the mankind to understand the value of normalcy.
Earlier it was the values of king and religion that was considered normal. Then it was the values of general public that was considered normal. Then came the century of enlightment. Philosophers started to think what the meaning of being normal is. The statisticians came with idea of 'curve of normalcy' and standard deviations. So now the modern scientific generation believes anything that is between two standard deviations from median can be considered normal.

                But normal man cannot be satisfied by the normalcy. Everyone aim towards the idealism. The minority. The social elites. Defining normalcy in every realm of life will be a herculean task. So I will like to tell about normalcy which is germane to my field of my interest. WHO could come with a definition for 'health' only after years of brainstorming. The standards of wellbeing varies widely.

For a mechanic with lost little finger, it may not be a problem. But for a craftsman even that tip of little finger may cost much, and for a pianist it is invaluable. For a young man with an amputated leg as a result of an accident, ambulation will be a blessing. But for a diabetic patient, the healing of a chronic ulcer on the foot will be a thing for hope. People with no disease want to have ideal body shape, body that resembles a film star. People become anorexic and bulimic to fit in to that perfect dress.

 For a person with a temporary diverting colostomy, a successful reversal surgery is the day of his life. But a patient with colostomy made as a part of cancer treatment prays his disease never come back. He is totally denied of the dream of colostomy reversal. A good stoma without any complications and discomfort is defined as normal for him. For a person with peripheral vascular disease, pain is a part of life. If his pain is reduced to an affordable level, it is considered normal for him. A woman undergoing mastectomy for cancer, any kind of reconstruction which might feel disastrous, if applied on a healthy woman may be considered normal. Same time a small scar on the neck may be disabling for a teenage girl. A young lady may not feel complete until she gets an augmentation surgery on her perfectly healthy breast.

The values of normalcy can change from one end of a scale to the other end in matter of minutes. A doctor who is rushing to the ED to attend a patient may slip and get a serious head injury. That is fate. It is an inevitable unpredictable issue. And the normalcy is a complement factor of fate.