A friend (female, single, solicitor-cum-entrepreneur, mid-30s), asked me over Saturday tea and sandwiches something like,

 "Would it have been easier to be happy if I'd chosen a normal life?"

Though a fairly simple question, it's loaded with assumptions:

1. That we have an unchangeable 'true' nature.
   This is a common theme in myth and religion, and evidenced by ourselves not being infinitely flexible. We are not chameleons.
2. That our unchangeable nature is common across humanity.
   This is a tempting assumption as we share many physical and non-physical needs in common with others.
3. That happiness and fulfillment come from following our true nature.
4. Following our true nature comes ... naturally.

At the beginning it looked like my friend's chips were down. Of course it would have been easier. She'd been picky and difficult all through her 20s, and was now single and childless as a result. Image: alternate her holding 2 never-realised children, saying, "Serves you right." As the talk progressed, however, we found ourselves discovering a few other ideas:

• It is not actually easy to be 'normal'. People are quite driven to fit into the aspirational demographic. Some adopt irrational methods, including getting (others) pregnant to acquire a family, making consumer purchases or investments to seemingly do nothing more than generate suitable conversation stories.
• If it was easier to do it, she would have done it already. But no, there was something, given her foresight, intelligence, and savvy that barred the suburban path, making it unnatural for her.
• People with enough smarts and independence of thought make abnormal choices not because we are being ornery, but because we have the ability to follow them through.
• Our abnormal choices are part of our true natures.

Now apply the previous assumptions to reach a startling conclusion...

The majority is not following their true nature. The happy families with their flatscreens, baby car seats, and their Wiggles DVDs are not being fulfilled at all. But they're too dumb to know, or do anything about it.

Anyways, You go, girl.