Different

At first, I thought I would name this blog entry as "Unique" because "different" seems to be broader than the first one. However, being unique is more often associated with something positive. Being different, on the other hand, may either be a blessing or a curse.


When we say that someone is different, it can be a good thing or a bad thing. The inclination of being different towards one end or the other end, is determined by whether that different thing, feature, or aspect, is desirable or not. For example, one person can be different if he/she has a dimple. This is because only a few people have dimples and a majority do not. Also, these people are often admired and very much noticed by others. The reason is that the society sees having dimples as desirable.

On the other hand, if a person has an extra finger in his/her hand, I am fairly sure that he/she has had a tough childhood. The first and second persons in the examples are both unique in their own ways. The big difference in how people treat them, however, is caused by the desirability or undesirability of the "unique" feature. Society has taught us that having extra fingers is far from being desirable.

Given this, are there only three types of people? The first one being blessed with a desirable unique trait, the second one being a commoner with no unique feature, and the third one being cursed with a unique but undesirable characteristic? Is the flow of one's life predetermined by this blessing, commonality, or curse? No.

It is highly possible to nullify a positive, and also to reverse the negative. Even with the gift of having unique talents, some people may fail to capitalize because they are too lazy to utilize the talent. A woman that is given unique and exceptional beauty, may not be truly desirable if she has attitude problems caused by an inflated ego. On the other hand, there are a few people who were born with no hands and arms, but became great artists and painters by using their feet.

Thus, it is not the blessing or the curse itself that determines the flow of one's life. It is how people use these unique features, whether desirable or not, that steers one's boat into a sea of satisfaction or a waterfall of depression.