The eccentric & free spirit 'hybrid...' bizarre excellence!
The eccentric & free spirit 'hybrid…'
Bizarre excellence!
“We walk amongst you every day, some may love us some may despise us… ”
Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong era in the wrong place and perhaps at the wrong time? Surrounded by people who just don’t see and feel what you see in the world around you?
Has your open mind and free thinking landed you in some hot water with the more conventional and conservative thinkers?
Are people telling you “No, we don’t do it like that” or “Stop trying to be something that you are not!”?
Are you the kind of person who is considered the oddball by mainstream folk because of your diverse interests and how you go about engaging and connecting with life in general?
Are you creative beyond imagination, with a quirky eclectic sense of style? Do you see the world in technicolor, have diverse interests, and dance to the music in your head. Do you have all your fingers out, feeling for the pulse of the universe and tapping to its beat?
Well, then you are not alone, you just might be an eccentric & free spirit hybrid.
Yes it’s a coined term, but true, and it exists in form and function; something like a cosmopolitan-hippy (a different kind of hybrid, but I’ll leave that for another blog post).
The eccentric free spirit 'hybrid' is a certain kind of human spirit. He or she is not afraid to go against the grain of societies' norms, is out-spoken, has a great sense of humour and loves to laugh with life, not at life. This kind of person may come across as highly opinionated to some. This is a creative person who dances to their own beat and is unaffected by the normative pull, or the judgment of those more conventional than them.
The hybrid's behavior may seem strange, peculiar, and abnormal to others. Some may criticize this kind of person because they don't understand or feel threatened by the hybrid's lack of needing to conform.
Conversely, in the eyes of others, they are wondrously beautiful because of their creative thought and in their presence of being. They are appreciated, seen and understood for what they are, and left to be as they are.
The eccentric free spirit hybrid is ever-ready to challenge the norms and is prepared to dance on the fringe of the social order, in order to experiment and try out ways of doing new things, as well as discovering different ways of being and engaging with life.
“In popular usage, eccentricity (also called quirkiness) refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary. Eccentricity is contrasted with "normal" behavior, the nearly universal means by which individuals in society solve given problems and pursue certain priorities in everyday life. People who consistently display benignly eccentric behavior are labeled as "eccentrics"."
(Some may call them mad…) I say it’s the most beautiful kind of crazy! Crazy in love with curiosity…
Psychologist Dr. David Weeks mentions people with a mental illness "suffer" from their behavior while eccentrics are quite happy.[6][7] He even states eccentrics are less prone to mental illness than everyone else.” Naturally I concur with his findings.
The free spirit similarly doesn’t need opinions or affirmation from others to drive personal decisions and choice. The free spirit exists in a very different ‘realm’ let’s call it that. They are uninhibited and operate independently most of the time. They do exactly what they want, when they want because they simply can (on a whim at times) and are able to express themselves in various ways without worrying about judgment of others, because they know that it really won’t matter.
The free spirit has a deep sense of knowing, a highly positive outlook on life and good dose of elastic resilience with a colourful whimsical flare, which makes their lives appear easy and magical to others, often to the point of irritation at times. It is part of their very unique set of capabilities. They are plugged into to the rhythm of the universe and create their own worlds in which to exist - a free state of being, mind, body and soul. Boundless and free…There is no notion of can’t or impossible unless they don’t want to, or are uninterested.
"Freedom is at the very root of being a free spirit. Being a free spirit starts with being free in your mind. Free spirits are often open-minded, positive, and full of ideas. They live with a no pressure attitude. In most instances, free spirits are flexible and try to minimize time constraints as much as possible"
“The free spirit character archetype loves to talk. She/he is one of those characters that will chat about anything and everything because they love to engage with all kinds of people and unusually have a diverse set of knowledge given their nature, charming some people and irritating others”
A free spirit will avoid restraints and boundaries. "Giving a free spirit an ultimatum is a recipe for disaster. Free spirits do not do well with restraints, and avoid them at all costs, even if it means avoiding you. They do not like confrontations or arguments, but will go head on if need be to protect & defend their freedom! Free spirits move to their own rhythm, with their own purposes and agendas. While some people make moves based on what others are doing or what the trend is, free spirits have their own flow.” Free spirits need to be appreciated rather than owned or controlled; for once they are owned they cease to be free. This will kill the very nature and virtue of who and what they are.
“This does not mean a free spirit is a trampler, i.e. the kind of person who doesn’t care about other people’s feelings. Nor are all free spirits incapable of compromise and discussion. They aren’t inherently flighty or irresponsible or train wrecks on wheels. Free spirits can be any of these things, just like everyone else, but they don’t have to be."
So what are our eccentric & free spirit hybrid characteristics and traits?
(Not to be confused with psychological pathologies!)
· The eccentric/free spirit hybrid would show non-conforming behavior (in the positive form) from a very early age, doing things differently and with confidence. There’s a great overlap between eccentric children and gifted children.
· The hybrid thinks for him/her self, observing and collecting data in order to form his/her own opinions.
· The hybrids with more eccentric characteristics become very, very creative but they’re motivated primarily by curiosity. They have extreme degrees of curiosity, and they’re very independent-minded. Usually quite intelligent and well read.
· The hybrid has many interests which represent their dynamic personality and excels at most of them. There will always be a project of some sort on the go, a new venture of interest or of learning.
· The hybrid with more free spirited characteristics cares about getting to know both him/herself and the world around them.
· The hybrid is fairly idealistic. They want to make the world a better place, and they want to make other people happy. Especially those who are dis-empowered.
· The Hybrid has the courage to test life’s boundaries and limits, and to try things that other people think are impossible, unimportant, or impractical. (These other people are often wrong.) And are often left gobsmacked by the hybrids successes given their "odd" behavior.
· The Hybrid does what he/she thinks is right, not what everyone else tells him/her is right. High value is placed on free choice. And the hybrid is strong in mind with many resources.
· They have these happy obsessive preoccupations, and a wonderful, unusual sense of humor, and this gives them a significant meaning in life. And they are far healthier than most people because of that.
· Hybrids usually have very low stress. They’re not worried about conforming to the rest of society, low stress, high happiness equates with psychological health.
· Not everyone is going to like a hybrid. Some may become extremely frustrated by their eccentricity and free spirited nature and may perceive them as reckless and careless. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Hybrid deals with misguided uniformed ridicule and judgment from others like water off a ducks back. It just won’t penetrate. This might further frustrate the person affected by the hybrids personality and characteristics.
· They are not generally swayed by arguments of what one is “supposed” to do. They tend to avoid and ignore people who are judgmental or controlling. Perhaps at times may try to educate them if it happens to be a person they really care about.
· “Time and again, they (eccentrics/free spirits) in our study clearly evinced that shining sense of positivism and buoyant self-confidence that comes from being comfortable in one’s own skin.” Dr. David Weeks Psychologist.”
· The hybrid often has her/her own unique vision of life and the world. This could present a problem in relationships, unless the partner of a hybrid, eccentric or free spirit understands what they have in their partner and appreciates their gift.
“In this age, the mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time.” -- John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Live your eccentric/free spirited 'hybrid' self and be well!
Marie Joshua
Wellness Practitioner and Psychological Counsellor.
Edited by Alison Best
Edited by Alison Best
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