S is for...Stranger, People are strange when you’re a

Jim Morrison, The Doors. Fantastic.

But this is the thing. There’s being S is for...Strange, and there’s being an S is for...Stranger.

Please, allow me to flow. Mic check 1, 2.

Potatoes. Puh-taaaa-toessss.

Ahem.

I’ve had my S is for...Something Facebook page, social media accounts, and all that shit for some time now. In that time I’ve personally done a lot. The website and articles I have written, along with the social media accounts have provided some interesting conversations; on and off-line. Dare I say it, there are people out in the world that have taken on board what I’m about and how I go about using this knowledge and system. ‘Things’ may even be considered, by some at least, to be ‘better’ than they were in the past.

Now, S is for...strange and strangers.

We all have an element of strange about us. It’s our quirks, our ticks, our subtleties. It’s the things that make us us. You you, and me me. But once we spend more time with each other, those strange things arent so strange anymore. They just become a part of who we are. For example, bar using a dog turd I will happily stir my tea or coffee with pretty much anything. I KNOW, some people find that strange.

Strange sometimes is just another word for alien, unknown, unfamiliar.

It‘s sometimes just things that sit outside our comfort zone.

Not necessarily bad, just different.

Yet for some of us, including me at different points in my life. (I always feel it’s important I reiterate, contrary to some peoples beliefs, I am a human being too.) For some of us, strange is soooooo negative, and sooooo bad. The S is for...Stigma attached for S is for...Strange is quite simply destructive.

What I’m getting at is, I know I’m strange. I know also, that I’m a bit of a stranger sometimes. Because I just can’t be arsed. Or, I’m busy so I come across as a stranger. Or, I simply don’t like you and I’m quite happy being a stranger to you. There’s loads of reasons. If any of you are really unsure about where you and I stand, thats a pretty good sign that I don’t like you. Game on!!

But on the S is for Something website, which I currently run through Wix, there is a little chat feature on it. So, when someone comes on to the website I can see it has a visitor. It gives them a little automated message basically saying ”Hey!”. And it gives me a rough idea of where in the world they are from. Pretty cool and impressive stuff.

From time to time I write a message in the chat box, because well you know, you are on my website. MY website. So, I figure I might drop you a message and see how it’s going and what you are checking out. Checking out on MY website.

It‘s kind of like if you came to my shop, if I owned one, or you know maybe my house? I wouldn’t just see you looking in through my fucking living room window would I and just be like,

“Oh yeah, that’s cool, just having a nosey at my life are you? Carry on.”

No. Because that’s FUCKING STRANGE!

But, I occassionally drop a message in the chat box when someone comes onto my site. Sometimes it’s S is for...Silly, sometimes it’s S is for...Serious. I just go with whatever I fancy. It’s my site. But literally NO ONE ever replies. I’m not bothered. I’m a 34 year old man!! I’ll get over it. I’m not going to be all,

“Mummy, somebody doesn’t want to pway wiv me.”

Just thought I’d smash out a little S is for...Something about it, because it’s interesting. But

mainly because it’s fucking weird. And I think a little bit rude. I think it’s S is for...Strange. This is the shit we talk about when we say that people don’t engage with each other anymore, people are like robots or cyber zombies or whatever.

”No stranger than you sending weird messages in a chat box, Chris.”

Listen I get that, but it’s a sorry state of affairs when people are happy to check out what you are about; because they think its interesting, because you have something to offer, because maybe you have something that might benefit them, and then just have them flat out blank you. It’s just fucking sad.

Yeah yeah, I get it, maybe they’re shy, scared, or whatever. But communicating via a computer screen doesn’t mean that this exchange didn’t happen or doesn’t exist. It just means that you are a bit anonymous to me.

It means, people are strange when you’re a stranger.

Something someone supposedly said

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.”

Songs

People are strange - The Doors