Colin’s Calling: What Makes Him Too Normal?

By Draven St.George

“I feel like I’m too normal” were the words said by Colin Udall, a junior at Owasso High School, and he doesn’t know why. He does all of the normal things that people do: he goes out with friends, he takes tough classes, he has personal interests. One of them is desktop publishing, where he gets to regularly use Photoshop.

“That stuff just comes naturally to me” he stated humbly. A lot of things come naturally to Colin at Owasso High School, he participates in journalism with Owasso Rampage and is taking multiple AP classes like AP U.S. History and AP Language and Composition with AP U.S. History being his favorite of the bunch, but is that what makes him too normal?

Udall is an avid lover of journalism and history, but he doesn’t think he will pursue a career in either; why is that? It mainly comes from his family background and what they consider his specialty. Colin was born in Bath, England but moved to Oklahoma when he was four years old because his father found a new job opportunity here. His dad, being the traditionalist in the family when it comes to family values and success within this economy. Though, Colin is massively intrigued by United States’ history and what the textbooks leave out, and he hopes to one day become a history teacher. However, his father believes that he should pursue a career and a major in Engineering due to engineers making a lot of money and being financially secure, an internal conflict Colin continually struggles with. Colin could believe himself to be too normal because his school and family, who consider themselves normal, seem abnormal to him. 

Colin is maybe too normal because his definition of success counters the normal beliefs of his family and surroundings.

Colin’s father’s definition of success comes from the idea of financial stability as well as a wealthy position within the hierarchy of the U.S. On the other hand, Colin’s idea of success comes from being happy in a career and providing happiness in one’s life without impeding on other’s happiness. With the contradicting opinions within the family, it seems that there is not a clear definition of what success is as it is subjective. So what can we take away from the idea of success and its relation to being normal?

With Colin’s belief in success, it suggests that success comes from personal attachment. However, Colin’s Dad’s belief suggests that success is a correspondent with economic power. Why do people feel different about success? That’s because success is based on people’s background and what their media at the time seemed to consider success to be. Colin’s Dad growing up in Britain’s economy with major industries taking power, it would seem that success derived from being at the top of the economic food chain. Colin, growing up in this Gen Z society with influencers showing success through personal revelation, shows that his definition of success comes from the self and them being fulfilled and happy with their decisions. Their vast differences in the idea of success prove even more that success doesn’t have a true definition, but it has a true connection to the people that believe in it. With that being said, take success not for what it is, but what you want it to be, and make your own version of becoming successful in order to stray from the normal and become too normal.