Normal

I used to ponder the question of what normal is but eventually settled on the fact that it doesn't exist. What does is the general conformance that people have adhered to for centuries under which lay much more varied behaviour which dared not show its face.

I could take a sampling of people and examine their lives in great detail which would give me a far more accurate picture of who they are. Certainly it would be more representative than the one they show the world.

So if we talk normal we can say it represents the statistical band within which the majority of people exist and are afraid to exit lest they be shunned. This public behaviour is not entirely who they are but we can say it is a mask which is comfortable enough to wear over long periods.

If today's normal has been expanded, it is because some people were tired of wearing much heavier and more tedious versions.