Our body is but a social structure composed of many souls

Yes, I’m on a Nietzsche quote binge, don’t ask me why, it just is what it is. Though, maybe like us he struggled with the social reaction to autonomy, and his sentiments resonate with me for that reason?

For instance: recently a few colleagues of hers called us inspirational for some of our lifestyle decisions we make naturally and take for granted as “normal”. But apparently our lifestyle — from the lack of furniture in our house to our arbitrary choice of uprooting to move five thousand miles north — isn’t typical. Whether it is good or bad I don’t know, but somehow we are different from most of the people we encounter.

Yet honestly, it isn’t really clear to me what that statement means. I guess if you asked me to, I could probably verbalize the superficial contrasts between our little family and others, but we stay within ourselves and don’t keep loose relationships, so the outside world is unfamiliar — and we don’t like comparisons, anyway. So, then why is this on my mind?

I’m not suggesting we are somehow exceptional because it is impossible that we are unique, but this kind of admiration is confusing. And, the tacit comparison is very telling, an unrealized inferiority that makes me very uncomfortable.

I don’t think there is anything extraordinary about our family. Unusual? Maybe, but it’s unclear to me how that word means we relate to others because, at least by my philosophy, we all have the same potential.