Normal and otherwise

I have developed this habit of going on walks late into the night. In the place where I live, late into the night is 10:30 pm. Most of the people would have already retired for the night, except of course, for a few young couples enjoying each others' company in the cool breeze. Now before anyone would doubt it, let me make it clear that that is not the reason why I venture out.

Bengaluru is at its best during this hour. Its cool, literally, figuratively. The vast roads stretch in front of you in the dim light cast by the stray street lights. Less artificial sounds or no sound to disturb you from your meditation. I generally sing or talk to myself when I am left alone like this. People who happen to pass by me usually turn back, mostly at my insanity.

It is in the middle of one of these walks that a thought struck me.

Gaussian curve. The symmetry of the Gaussian curve surprised me. If it were to be just a curve, we could have let it go. But, we all fit into the curve. Our behaviours fit in, with or without us being aware.

When we apply it to the society, most of us are 'normal', with only a few Supernormal and equally few below normal. This behaviour holds good in a class of students. Their performance is Gaussian. The most amazing thing here is that we don't talk to each other. By talking I mean we have no intensions of fitting into the curve as a group. There is group behaviour, but without our intent. We naturally have a tendency to fit inside the behaviour.

An interesting story at this point of time is how Gaussian curve was thought of/invented by Gauss. Gauss' father was a local money lender. It so happened that, a subprime crisis happened even then and people who took loans for various reasons were defaulting. Gauss, an inquisitive young lad, paid some attention to what his father was upto.

He finds out that his father was lending huge amounts of money to a few people. As a consequence, even if a few defaulted, his father was feeling the pinch. So he advised his father to lend small amounts of money to more people. And history says his father made good money(atleast didn't lose much!).

What the genius banked on was the inherent group behaviour. Most people are honest. A few a not. A few are too honest(whatever that means). And thus the Gaussian curve was born. Gauss went on and did much more in Mathematics than most of us even try to understand. But as the curve points it out, there are a few who do that.

It is upto us to tread whichever path we want. It is easier and more probable to be normal. But there is a definite probability that nature provides, for extraordinary behaviour.

I bow down, great men!