What does it mean to be 'Normal'

In our society we have this whole idea of conformity and normality. The real question is...what is normality? Does being normal mean 'fitting in' with the crowd and not distinguishing yourself? Does being normal mean that you have lots of freinds and get decent grades? Why do people call other people weird? What is it about them that makes them that? Some people are so afraid of being different that they will take every step they can to avoid it. Some people thrive on difference and do things that most people may hesitate to do. But then, what is the standard of normality? I beleived that each of us have a perception in our minds of what we would consider to be normal or even proper. When we dont fit into this perception, we come to beleive that we are not normal, or worse yet, that there is something wrong with us. In truth, I think that abnormality is a blessing, to be able to be different from the great mass of people, to be the black sheep in the field of white sheep. And yet many people dont view abnormality as a benefit at all. Instead they feel that they are 'freaks' or 'weird' and they wish they could do anything to change this defect, be it a personality defect or a physical one. Why are we so afraid of difference? Because people will make fun of us, because its easier for people to join together and pick on the 'different' one, because all around us we are being told what is normal and what isnt. If we could just, for one moment, remove the veil which shrouds our minds and look past it, we would see that there is more to life than fitting in. If someone calls you 'weird' you ought to turn around and thank them because this person has just reminded you not only that they have some kind of insecurity inside themselves, but also that you have a quality which is special and which you should be proud of. Of course, no one is perfect and everyone has something wrong with them. Lets take a less extreme case, like say, having a boyfreind or girlfreind. Some people feel inadequate because they dont have a boyfreind or girlfreind, but why should they? So you dont have someone that you can be close to in that way and yes this may be emotionally draining at times, but in the end, when people make fun of a person for this, why should they take it to heart. Just because they dont have one at that moment doesnt mean they wont have one later. Lets take another case, the most devastating thing for any guy is to be called a homosexual and have the idea spread around the school. Some people have killed themselves because of this. The real question is, why is homosexuality a bad thing? I myself feel the need to say I'm not a homosexual so that no one will get any ideas, but why do I feel the need to say this? I suppose that when people attach a stigma to something and we end up somehow finding our way to that stigma, we feel that we no longer belong. This tells us how much we care about the opinions of others and how much we feel a need to be wanted. Eveyone wants to be liked by everyone else, everyone wants to do what is best for everyone else so that they wont look bad, everyone wants to be normal, but in truth, it is the abnormals that achieve more in this world, as someone once said 'history is full of abnormal people'.