People are interested in the eccentric. We love to hear stories about the eccentricities of others, especially if they are famous. The National Enquirer boasts the largest circulation of any newspaper and is based on rumors of unusual behavior. Many famous people are as well-known for their eccentricities as for their contributions to humanity. Albert Einstein is the quintessential "absent-minded professor." Henry Ford drank his own urine. Howard Hughes had obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as anxiety. The King of Rock-n-Roll was well known for his eccentric behavior, as was the King of Pop; both were, and still are, the subject of much gossip. (Ironically, Michael once told me, "I don't want to end up like my father-in-law!") It's just not interesting to hear about the normal behavior of others.
In spite of this, we all want to be "normal." We hide our eccentricities from others, insisting that we are "just like everyone else." I saw a program where prisoners on "death row" were being interviewed. One young man insisted, "I'm just like you. I had to kill the woman because she wouldn't give me her car; anyone would have done the same." Though he was scheduled to be executed, he still considered himself normal. Moreover, in consideration of everyones need to be normal, it's impolite to speak of the differences in others. We don't talk about how they look different or have any unusual behaviors. We feel that we are normal because we see everything through our own eyes; though our filter may be off-color, since that's all we see, it seems normal.
The Scriptures tell us, however, that our "normal" behavior isn't good. King Benjamin didn't mince words in saying that "the natural man is an enemy to God." (Mosiah 3:19) What is natural and normal is in opposition to God so if we are to come to know Him we must follow Him by going against our natural inclinations. "Disciple" Indicates more than a follower in theory, but rather changing the whole being, or the heart.
The scriptures often use words for the followers of Christ that denote eccentricity. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people..." (1 Peter 2:9) The concept of "covenant people" refers to those who are bound to God and leave the world. We are told to "come out of the world." The followers of Christ will always be different from their neighbors. The word "holy" literally means "set apart," referring to being different from, or outside of the world.
The Lord Himself is called "the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah repeats this: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts..." (Isaiah 6:3) He is not natural or normal, but rather eccentric. Jesus told His disciples before His death, "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me," (John 14:30) and Pilate during His interrogation, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36) He was not part of the establishment so when He started getting too much power He had to be killed. God is so different from this world. His Kingdom is so far removed as to be incomprehensible in worldly terms. Jesus used parables to illustrate His Kingdom, beginning with "The kingdom of Heaven is likened..." because He couldn't explain it in a concrete way -- it's completely outside the experience of those in the world.
If we are centered in anything of the world, then we are not centered on God. The goal, then is to become eccentric. Prophets are often described and portrayed as eccentric. Some yell, "repent!" on a street corner. Others run naked through the streets. They give their children strange names. They just aren't like "normal people." Paul thought everyone should be a prophet --, not to go running naked, necessarily, but to have the spirit of prophecy and do anything the Lord asks. Since God is so far removed from the world, it is impossible to keep one foot in the world and the other in His Kingdom.
The way to start this process is to learn about God and His Kingdom. The Scriptures contain this information, but it must be understood through the Holy Ghost because it is completely foreign. Prayer is also an essential part of coming to know Him. The only way to know anyone is to communicate with them, the more the better. We begin by asking for what we want, but over time we learn to pray differently. Rather than praying for Him to give us what we desire of the world, we pray to hear His voice, to see His truth, and to understand His will. What happens in this process is that we are gradually taken out of the world, our focus changes from the world to God and we become different, peculiar, holy -- or eccentric.
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