3/09/2009

Walking Cliches

Have you ever imagined yourself as nothing more than a blip on a radar screen, drifting to-and-fro among millions of others? Perhaps as a flower in a field of daisies as they sway back and forth together as the wind blows, or a random color in a box of crayons? Are we content with the idea that we are just like everyone else? I'm guessing the general answer would probably be no. What it seems like is that most folks make every effort possible to be different. Makes you wonder why.

Many of us are raised with the idea that we are special and unique, and that there's one thing we can do better than anyone else. To me, this simply is not true. But I would imagine that it is this teaching that promotes growth in many people and leads them to successful careers. It urges us to find this one thing that is special about us, to find a direction, and to feel like an individual. While this may not be the only factor that contributes to how we live ours lives, it certainly has a large effect.

I think that most people hate the idea of being slaves to their genes. Our bodies are just a robotic shell, whose actions are dictated by our DNA and the endless instructions carried out by the brain. From a scientific standpoint, humans are 99.9% alike. That last 0.1% refers to an ever so slight difference in a section of double helix, which contributes to our slight difference of appearance and personality. In a sense, this difference is what makes us unique from each other. Even though this difference isn't really very significant, our strong urge to be different actually contributes to many benefits including variety, which generally give more options, and as a result makes the human race more prosperous.

As well as our strong desire to feel like a separate and unique entity, our competitive society also forces us to live and act beyond our normal persona. While I'd like to think that this superficial obligation only exists in a business environment, I think maybe it also has quite a large role in our personal lives. In order to be noticed, you must take special measures; whether it be for a potential job or a mate. It may even be that by doing this, we've conditioned our brains to act this way automatically without actually being aware of it. I've always felt comfortable with the idea though that we are constantly aware of acting outside of who we are.

For the longest time, I tried very hard to not fall into the category of any cliche. Along with my personal need to feel different, I always took anything that was considered 'normal' with a grain of salt. While it may be a bit depressing at first, I've realized that I am just like everyone else; and the more I try to be different, the more I am cheating myself. I am slowly learning to embrace my subtle differences, and while doing this may disallow me to obtain some of things I long for, nothing is worth being fake.

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