AlexTheGreat
Senior Don Juan
- Joined
- May 9, 2004
- Messages
- 497
- Reaction score
- 7
Last week, I was asked whether I was somehow ashamed of my teeth as a reason for not opening my mouth as much as others. You see, my teeth are in fact not completely straight, I have out-of-line upper second incisives and weird lower molars. But why would the fact of being equipped with a unique dentition pattern make me uncomfortable? Why should it? I answered that not only was I not ashamed of my teeth, but it provided me with a unique factor of which I was really proud.
In today’s society of monotone and uniformity, different has taken on the meaning of bad, and a sort of discrimination against everything that stood out has risen. Everybody likes and wants to fit in; even separate houses in a neighborhood share the same design and try to “blend in” together. But the problem with blending in is that we look highly of the ones surrounding us, but scorch at anything that seems different. This situation can affect the isolated ones harshly, as through their exclusion, they could feel as outcasts. The confidence hit that comes associated with that feeling is devastating, and would generally force the affected person to try and hide the offensive content from the view of others. However, it becomes more difficult if the said difference is a physical défaut of some kind.
Well, here comes the news! There are several ways of looking at objects: one is to only see the differences and negative points of the object while completely bypassing any positive attributes it might have; while another would be to take the exact same arguments, and to flip them around. Any point has a positive and a negative side to it; it is practically impossible to create something good without having a downside to compensate. Why then stop only on the negative aspect when the same thing could be seen through different eyes and the flip side of the medal could be viewed?
The best way to explain this would be to return to the original situation. People could be looking at me and thinking to themselves “Look at that man’s teeth! They are crooked!” On the one side, those people immediately put me aside in the different category, stranding me in the outcast club. However, the flipside of the matter is that my crooked teeth made me stand out in a crowd packed with so many people we could never possibly remember. Hence, this different dentition of mine could be seen as an anchor holding me back; or it could be seen, as I do, as an element that makes you distinct in a world of similarities, that makes you stand out when everyone tries to reach “perfect”.
Pretty different view on the matter huh? Such positivism is a quality that everyone possesses, but simply keeps it hidden in the back of their minds. However, by finding that optimism inside yourself, you do more than simply unleashing a highly thought-after quality; you allow yourself to be amazed! By seeing a new facet to things you usually overlooked, you begin a mental revolution that gives you a new outlook on life, one where you can actually be happy.
We all have differences and elements we don’t like about ourselves: too big a nose, too small feet, too spread apart ears, anything really. But the fact that we don’t like these natural elements is because we have been conditioned to dislike differences, and to look upon anything standing out with disregard and negativism. By looking on the bright side of things and seeing how these differences make you unique, you can learn to love yourself. And it’s only when you love yourself that you can truly start feeling good.
Make the most of what you have, and use those differences to your advantage. The unique factor is what rouses curiosity, a powerful emotion that can lead to warm places. So why try to hide that which should bring you further? Use your differences, those tools you have in your possession, and start building that bridge; those lacking your attributes will still be left at the step of collecting theirs.
-- Alex
In today’s society of monotone and uniformity, different has taken on the meaning of bad, and a sort of discrimination against everything that stood out has risen. Everybody likes and wants to fit in; even separate houses in a neighborhood share the same design and try to “blend in” together. But the problem with blending in is that we look highly of the ones surrounding us, but scorch at anything that seems different. This situation can affect the isolated ones harshly, as through their exclusion, they could feel as outcasts. The confidence hit that comes associated with that feeling is devastating, and would generally force the affected person to try and hide the offensive content from the view of others. However, it becomes more difficult if the said difference is a physical défaut of some kind.
Well, here comes the news! There are several ways of looking at objects: one is to only see the differences and negative points of the object while completely bypassing any positive attributes it might have; while another would be to take the exact same arguments, and to flip them around. Any point has a positive and a negative side to it; it is practically impossible to create something good without having a downside to compensate. Why then stop only on the negative aspect when the same thing could be seen through different eyes and the flip side of the medal could be viewed?
The best way to explain this would be to return to the original situation. People could be looking at me and thinking to themselves “Look at that man’s teeth! They are crooked!” On the one side, those people immediately put me aside in the different category, stranding me in the outcast club. However, the flipside of the matter is that my crooked teeth made me stand out in a crowd packed with so many people we could never possibly remember. Hence, this different dentition of mine could be seen as an anchor holding me back; or it could be seen, as I do, as an element that makes you distinct in a world of similarities, that makes you stand out when everyone tries to reach “perfect”.
Pretty different view on the matter huh? Such positivism is a quality that everyone possesses, but simply keeps it hidden in the back of their minds. However, by finding that optimism inside yourself, you do more than simply unleashing a highly thought-after quality; you allow yourself to be amazed! By seeing a new facet to things you usually overlooked, you begin a mental revolution that gives you a new outlook on life, one where you can actually be happy.
We all have differences and elements we don’t like about ourselves: too big a nose, too small feet, too spread apart ears, anything really. But the fact that we don’t like these natural elements is because we have been conditioned to dislike differences, and to look upon anything standing out with disregard and negativism. By looking on the bright side of things and seeing how these differences make you unique, you can learn to love yourself. And it’s only when you love yourself that you can truly start feeling good.
Make the most of what you have, and use those differences to your advantage. The unique factor is what rouses curiosity, a powerful emotion that can lead to warm places. So why try to hide that which should bring you further? Use your differences, those tools you have in your possession, and start building that bridge; those lacking your attributes will still be left at the step of collecting theirs.
-- Alex