On being...unique.

Depending on how well you know me, you may have different ideas on why I chose this title today.

Well, here's the answer: It's a combination of the ideas that I got from my teacher and a home cell member on what to blog about today. Sometimes, I do need a little push to get myself out of writer's block...

Just the other day I was casually talking to one of my best friends about people with similar characters in our class, and that made me think about not only if there was someone (or several people) who were similar to me in terms of personality and mannerism, but also how unique each one of us are.

It's a known fact that each of us are unique. We have our own makeup, backgrounds, characters, ways we carry ourselves, and other things that define us. Different things make our heart skip, and we have leave our own fingerprints on everything that we do.

It's true that stereotyping exists here, and people are grouped into groups based on a lot of things. Social status, intellect, race, even whether you like or hate a certain celebrity...you name it, and people can be immediately divided into groups of some kind or another. Grouping always happens before you even know it...sadly to say, this exists in society for a long time actually. And we are directly affected by it. However, when we choose to look beyond stereotypes, and see the person as a person, a unique individual with his or her own story to tell, we then grow closer together and forget the differences between us for the sake of friendship.

Even though everyone is unique, that does not mean that there are no similarities between us, or the fact that some people naturally do stand out more than others. Usually, certain people's uniqueness show more blatantly than others due to either the lack of like-minded people or that that person possesses certain characteristics that most people do not have. I mean, come on, if I were to ask you to name out unique people in your family, among your friends, etc., you'll be able to think of at least a name or two, right? They're the ones that stand out among the crowd, as the Chinese proverb goes, "the stork among the chickens".

Being unique, I think, is truly a blessing to all of us, and we ought to not only accept it but also develop it by exploring new opportunities in life as time goes on. However, there are obstacles in this process, and chiefly among them is the tendency to follow the herd. When we decide to follow what one person (or a certain group) dictates on our mannerisms and ways, we may compromise our own way of doing things so that our ways are deemed acceptable to our peer group, and eventually lose our own style altogether. Another reason is fear: Certain people have interests, but they dare not try to do that in front of other people because of the fear of making a mess or doing poorly, and confine their talents and abilities to a certain level. Along with laziness and complacency, this talent or ability then becomes underdeveloped, not reaching its full potential.

So, how do we embrace our own uniqueness? One way, in my opinion, is simply by opening ourselves up more to the people in our lives. When we grow close to people, our quirky habits and flaws, as well as our strengths and character, becomes all the more obvious as people tell us both directly and indirectly about the things that we do when we're with them. We also learn about ourselves more by trying out different activities and opportunities. When we do so, we start to show inclinations towards certain activities, and get bored or untouched by others, and then our preferences start to show. Knowing what makes us tick helps us to have more direction in the things that we do as well.

Well, a parting question for us to ponder upon: Why confine yourself to singing in the shower when you can pull out a full band and bring the house down?

:)