What Is Abnormal?

It's been a while since I've written. The last few weeks have been an interesting combination of both boring and stressful as hell. Preparing for graduate school is a daunting task. There's a lot to get done and a lot of information that I need to gather and compile. My semester also started this week. My classes seem manageable, and dare I say enjoyable. I think I met someone who is a potential friend, and could be beneficial to me on campus. I don't know how to socialize or make friends very well, so I don't know how to exchange contact information just yet.
I'm taking a psychopathology class this semester and even the first class was fascinating. We debated the definition of "abnormal", and how to go about diagnosing abnormal behavior. One person's normal is another person's abnormal. Abnormal seems to take on a very subjective meaning in certain circumstances. I was watching tv earlier and there was an interview with a girl who was raped and beaten numerous times, and now claims she's too depressed to work or do anything. That's abnormal to me. I went through much worse than she did, and I'm out here working and in school and going about my life. I didn't let it affect me. Which one of us is abnormal? The one who is severely outwardly affected by the trauma, or the one who moved past it and didn't let it affect their life? Am I abnormal for being emotionally stronger than her? Or is she abnormal for being emotionally weaker than me? Looking at the big picture, I feel as if I'm the abnormal one. In every case of female rape/violence portrayed on tv or in movies or books or even interviews with real people, the victims always seem helpless to me. They can't hold down jobs, they get severely depressed, they can't take care of themselves, and they overall live a sad life. I feel like the only person who took those experiences and moved on. I'm still emotionally and mentally damaged, of course. However, I don't let it affect how I take care of myself and direct my life. I catch myself scoffing at these women in the media playing the sympathy card when I've been through things they couldn't even imagine. I don't see my past as something to be afraid of or something that will haunt me forever. I made it through a very toxic place in my life, and moved beyond the person who did me so much wrong. Is moving on with my life abnormal? Or should I dwell on it and bathe in the toxic waste like so many others seem to do? It's all subjective.