Eccentric People

I've been forced to deal with quite a few "eccentric" people lately, most recently a rude, oblivious, fuzzy around the edges (not so sharp) LTC. This brings a question to mind, why are there so many "eccentric" people here? It really seems like there is a giant space ship traveling around the globe picking up all of the “eccentric” (read: oblivious, curmudgeonly, rude, unhygienic, oddly shaped, mentally challenged, psychologically warped, etc.) misfits, putting them in shipping containers and addressing them to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. And I'm not just speaking of people in the military. I'm also speaking of the Third Country Nationals, the contractors, the DoD Civilians, everyone. The "weird" factor here is getting pretty high.

An irritating fact about eccentric people is that they know they are different and are pleased with that fact. And aside from being odd and irritating, eccentrics are generally very happy people, oblivious to the fact that they rub 90% of the people they come into contact with the wrong way. Or maybe they just don't care. Having said that, I ask this question. Is unusual behavior, a general disregard for societal norms, beneficial to mental health?

David Weeks came up with a list of 15 characteristics of eccentric people.

o nonconforming
o creative (I love this one)
o strongly curious
o idealistic
o happily obsessed with a hobby
o aware of being different from early childhood
o intelligent
o opinionated and outspoken
o noncompetitive
o unusual eating or living habits
o not interested in the opinions or company of others
o mischievous sense of humor
o single
o eldest or only child
o bad speller

.... wait... that sounds like me! Oh well. I guess being eccentric isn't all that bad after all.