The Value Of An Ordinary Life

I have always considered myself an ordinary guy, even though I never stopped thinking about just what that term means. I guess that now, in my “senior years,” I really should consider what that “ordinary” tag means.

What does “ordinary” mean when describing a person? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ordinary as “of common quality, rank or ability.” Gee, not much help there. I never considered myself “common,” even though, once again, I was not sure what that meant.

 “Common” is defined by that dictionary as “characterized by a lack of privilege or special status.”  We might be getting somewhere now, since I did not grow up with any apparent “privilege,” and no ‘”special status” was accorded to me, ever.

“God must love the common man because He made so many of them” is a famous quote that history attributes to Abraham Lincoln, but the true origin is less sure. In any case, the quote can be taken in several ways. The first might be to accept that God actually loves common folk more than UNcommon folk because the common people far outnumber the uncommon people. Or it can be taken as a smear against the common folk, being that by sheer numbers, there is nothing special about the common man, simply because there ARE so many of them.

I remember a famous (Uncommon?) comedian years ago who quoted that line and then said, “That may sound fine, but just try telling a man to his face that he’s common and see how fast he smacks you in the nose.” Obviously, there are many people who do NOT like being considered “common.” Kinda makes you wonder where the term “common sense” originated, eh? I so few desire to be called “common,” it’s no wonder so few have “common sense.”

Ordinary or EXTRAordinary?

So, knowing what “ordinary” means, what does it mean to be “extraordinary?” Once again, Merriam-Webster came to the rescue. Per Merriam-Webster, the word “extraordinary” means “going beyond what is usual, ordinary, or customary.”  When used as an adjective, the definitions of “extraordinary” are less telling than the word “ordinary,” likely because the word “extraordinary” has become so commonplace (pun intended). I gather then that being extraordinary means being somewhat ‘beyond the usual or even being “UNusual.”

So, let’s backtrack and say that being ordinary means “NOT going beyond what is usual or customary.” Now, the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that usually means “normal.” Now we’re getting somewhere (I think). Would it then be safe to say that people who are UNcommon and EXTRAordinary are also ABnormal? Well, that might be a stretch, but I have known a few extraordinary people who, if not abnormal, were at least a little “strange,” you get my drift?

From my experience, having been around people considered extraordinary, it appears that the world is always clamoring for those exceptional souls (goodness, did I just come up with another synonym for extraordinary?) always to do extraordinary things. But even the extraordinary brain needs a little break now and then. I mean, being somewhat ordinary, even my mental apparatus gets overtaxed at times; I can only imagine what a tiring state being extraordinary causes.

And, just a thought: Do extraordinary people consider themselves ordinary? Remember that according to the dictionary, an extraordinary person is one who “goes beyond what is usual, ordinary or customary,” and usual is defined as “normal,” but if a person has been, by the world’s standards, extraordinary since birth, would that condition not seem to him or her to be normal? If an extraordinary person considers himself “ordinary, ” to what extent would he need to outdo himself to accomplish anything he considered extraordinary?

I can see that being extraordinary could make life less than relaxed, peaceful, and quiet.

The value of being ordinary, then, is possibly that you are not expected always to do the extraordinary but can live a more relaxed, peaceable, and quiet life while still not being limited from the occasional attempt to BE extraordinary, especially if you can look through your ordinary (dare I say common?) eyes and see the need for some extraordinary action now and then. If you can actually do a few extraordinary things that look good on your “personal life” resume, you can actually have a reason to refute the claim, likely made by a truly extraordinary person, that you are, well, just plain ordinary.

Ordinary is OK

After examining the differences between the ordinary folk, I know and those few extraordinary folks I have met, I have decided that I have no objection to being called ordinary. After all, at my age, having experienced the joys of living a quiet and peaceable life for so long, who needs a bunch of people demanding I do something extraordinary, or do anything at all?

So, go ahead and call me ordinary; I won’t mind even a little bit. I will readily admit to being ordinary (sometimes even “ornery”) because I do fit the description from all the defining words I read in the M-W dictionary.

However, if you call me “common,” I might still be able, at my advanced age, to work up enough energy to try punching you in the nose because calling me ordinary and common in the same sentence is a bit too much!

But the most important part of this message is: Whether you are ordinary, extraordinary, common, or uncommon, be what God has determined you should be; after all trying to be something other than that is extraordinarily tiring!

Blessings to all the ORDINARY folk out there!

Budaroo@twc.com