‘Being different’... a quality that every one of us have a strange affinity towards. It is our constant endeavour to be recognised as “different”. We are all born different. 'Each one of us is unique'. Pardon me if you have come across this statement many times before. It has been made trite by the ever popular one-liners on T-shirts. Yet we never accept this simple truth, do we? That is why I perceive this affinity towards being different to be rather strange.
So, why is it that people try so hard to be different? Shouldn’t it come to us naturally? Let me share a quote of Mark Twain that I came across recently- “We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess." We are more worried about to have talents that others perceive as important, rather than being content with those that we already have. So what do we do? We get busy trying things that do not meliorate our lives in any manner, but in certain instances these activities tend to unsettle our lives.
I am not propagating a thought of never trying anything different. That would be regressive and against progress. The affection towards being different should not alone be a justification for trying something different. Improvement is what one should aspire to achieve; not divergence just for the sake of it. If one is trying to be merely different, then he/she will inevitably end up being in a group with similar trait i.e. ‘people trying to be different’, a situation one wanted to avoid at the onset. So what is the solution to this state of perplexity; simple - Do things that you feel is right and not what you feel others would like to see.
Try to... no no.... be yourself. Remember you are different; there is no further need for you to try!
“If you want to stand out, don't be different; be outstanding.” - Meredith West.
¿;-)
