Unique


“That is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Be different and be damned!”
― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
Every person on this planet is born unique. But that depends on what you mean by unique. Are we each unique in terms of fingerprints and DNA (excluding identical twins)? Yes. But it would be extremely unsatisfying to refer to the ridges on your fingers as the most unique thing about yourself.
Once man has secured the luxuries required to ensure survival, he turns his attention to deeper thoughts. He begins to search for self-identity. He yearns to stand out from the rest. He sets out on his own path.
The desire to be unique is an essential trait from an evolutionary viewpoint. If everyone was naturally contented with the way everyone was living their lives, the human race would never have been able to reach where it has today. Some of the most influential people in history were the ones courageous enough to stray from the beaten path.
But then why does society as a whole fear uniqueness so much? To understand this, we must look at how a person’s outlook on life changes as time wears on. In our fiery youth, we are told that we can be anything we want to be (as long as it’s medicine or engineering). With this supposed freedom, we desire to create a gloriously unique life experience.
Once we get older, the opportunities to stand out in a good way gradually diminish. Then, we can only take comfort in what we have. And having familiar things around you is comforting. The youth want to stand out. Elders want things to remain as they were.
Even ignoring the generation gap, it is always enjoyable to connect with someone on the same wavelength as you. Those that do manage to stand out will always have a part of them that longs to have someone standing out with them. Being unique can make you a great person but that road to greatness can turn out to be a very lonely one.
Failed attempts at uniqueness are never pretty. Add the desire to be different to a person not exactly sure on how to accomplish that and you get some strange results. Few will actually sympathize with the attempt to break the shackles of society once they are blindsided by the oddity of the act. It is important to keep in mind that an attempt to be unique and an attempt to derive kudos from others are not interchangeable. The former involves belief in an ideal not shared by others while the latter is simply fawning for attention.
Uniqueness. It wins the admiration of some, and appalls many more. Many strive to achieve it, but few actually do. But there is always something to be appreciated about the effort even if many choose not to. Isn’t striving to be something what life all about?




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