Different is GOOD!

 



The lights faded. The audience hushed. A solitary spotlight

singled out the face of this tiny, young human.

Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her blond, fine hair, radiated

a faint glow in the light.

She looked like an angel with wings hidden; but when she began to sing

she was more than an angel, she was all that befalls a human being; hope, joy, wonderment, sadness, pain, isolation and connection.

And all this at thirteen years of age.

 

Amidst an array of adjectives we can attach to what we are, who we are, it seems the term "exceptional" does not roll of the tongue quite as easily as "ordinary", normal, average, illusional, delusional, awkward, strange, et cetera. Yet, there are exceptional people who do extraordinary things, who practise divergent thinking and through their creativity and courage, our views are changed.

Problem is, most societies are not very welcoming of people who are "too" different. (There is a right amount of different???)

Seeing the young girl triggered childhood memories in me, and not the good kind. I was reminded of my early years at school when I was exceptional, well, exceptional in the sense that I was constantly told by others that there was something exceptionally wrong with me.

I was one of those awkward kids, nothing about me was really "normal" it seemed. I was too skinny, too small for my age, too shy, too awkward and had a very strange taste in music.

I liked jazz....and classical music...I could step into a symphony or the haunting sounds of Miles Davis and get lost in there and for most of my childhood, music, and art, became my friends.

How is it that we praise and support the rights of the individual yet at the same time are so quick to

ostracise and exclude those individuals who are "different"?

Not every one who paints is a Van Gogh in the making, not everyone who writes music a Beethoven, not everyone who writes a play a budding Shakespeare, not everyone who has an exceptionally active imagination a Da Vinci, but why not err on the encouraging side and at least nurture those who show promise in one area or another, whatever that area may be?

Perhaps you are lousy with numbers but exceptional with words?

Perhaps you are lousy with a brush but exceptional with a spanner?

Perhaps you are lousy with "grown-ups" but exceptional with children?

Perhaps you consider yourself average in most things and have no desire for being exceptional at anything?

If this is your answer, then my question is: is there anything in life you feel passionate about?

Some of us are lucky and know very early in our lives what we are passionate about, and for many, our passion also tend to include an innate talent to go along with it.

Unfortunately, unless those that share our nurturing environment support us, it can be hard to sustain our dedication to follow our passions. If you once had a passion for music, cooking, car mechanics, writing, travelling, ....insert here whatever your passion was.......but you gave up on it, my question is: Why?

Are any of the reasons for giving up your passion(s) still in place?

 If they are, look for possibilities of compromise, if not, then resuscitate your passion.

What if I don't know what my passion is?

Become curious. Be a kid, ask questions. Embrace every notion of interest, try not to censor anything as being weird, stupid, or silly. When you find something, give it your focused attention and work it.

Find others who share your passion and communicate.

The good thing with pursuing what is "alive" in us is that we don't have to be exceptional at it because when we are involved with doing that which makes us feel alive........well, we feel alive whether we are exceptional, ordinary, or bumbling klutzes.

My hope is that as we progress in the areas of science, technology, medicine, et.cetera, we will also progress to become more accepting of those among us who are different, divergent, introverted, shy, weird, "special", "walking to a different drum", exceptional, extraordinary, mysterious, enigmatic and so on. Who knows, that shy introverted kid in the un-fashionable clothes may be the next Einstein, Van Gogh, or Bill Gates.

 

"When we focus on leading a passionate, meaningful life, we are also inadvertently creating a spectacular ripple effect of inspiration in the lives around us.  When one person follows a dream, tries something new, or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels their passionate energy; and before too long, they are making their own daring leaps while simultaneously inspiring others."

(Mark and Angel Hack Life)