| Current mood: | philosophical |
Just when you think you're unique...
When I was a kid, I was surrounded by people telling me how unique and special everyone was. When I was about eleven, I started to get suspicious. If I'm unique, and everybody is unique, doesn't that mean I'm unique like everybody else? What is special about that? Even though I espoused that theory, and had a cynical few years following that, I think I still believe, at some deep level, that I am unique and special. No, I have never lacked for self esteem.
I think it is interesting that our culture is so focused on individuals and individuality, but humans crave connection and gravitate to those with whom they have the most in common. Today at school, I met a young woman who is also married. In fact, she was married on the same day I was in 2002. She also graduated from college in the same year I did. She works as an office manager, which is what I used to do. She has the same career aspirations I do (except the novel part). It was really sort of eerie, though the eeriest part was that we were married on the same day. While a small part of me was a little disturbed to discover that my ambitions and life are so commonplace, another part of me was delighted to meet someone I with whom I had so much in common.
I guess I'm not really unique at all, but at least I'm still special.
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