As I talked over the phone with my friend and I asked him what his dream was, he very vaguely said that he wants to be special; to not be mainstream and be a part of the crowd. He wanted to be different. And it just made me feel really lost and confused. While it is something he would want, and make a name for himself, I wondered aloud that what is wrong with being normal? What is wrong to be mainstream? What even is mainstream? What is special?
Our idea of being normal begins with being a normal student, getting a good education to get a good job, and then getting married and having kids and living for them, or for the job. I notice our generation is disgusted by the idea of having a life like that. We want to travel, we want to meet new people, we want to see the world, and gain experience, and just go away and live in the moment. Or for some, it is about being different and not doing the things what others are doing for it seems they are blinded by the corporate idea of the world, and those people are just lost. Sure, those people earn money, but by paying the price of the integrity of their dreams.
Except that is not the case.
We want to have the job of that blind forty-year-old; except we want it now, right after our graduation. We want to be able to go on business trips around the world, we want sports cars to drive, we want to have fancy homes to live in, and a life worth instagramming. But what we forget is that we are also blind. We are so blinded by wanting to be different that we forget that these people we call a waste of talent, actually worked hard to get to a point where they have it all. These people did all that so they could have the economic stability to live their dreams, even if they are old and shackled by their jobs. They worked. They were a part of the system.
But our desires stem from seeing not what these people sacrificed. Sacrificing a dream would never be the right term. Let’s just call it putting it on hold till they have the economic stability, that we want right away, to do what they always wanted. What is wrong with being old, and doing the things you love then? Yes, life is short and YOLO is all the rage of our generation, but what will we do once we get old? If we start to think too much about how youth is portrayed courtesy of Hollywood, we would be the kind of flames that burn the brightest, and are finished too quick.
Life is not a rat race, as people would like us to believe. We have got all the time that is designated for us; so what's wrong with living in the moment to make something better of the moments way ahead of now? If we rush to make a run for all the checkpoints of life, how will we get to live? Living in the moment is so much more than traveling, and eating out, and going out with friends, and cultivating a culturally rich life. What is wrong with taking things slow and wanting things to fall into place in time? Believe me, they do fall in place in time.
As for being special, our lives, our touch, what we gain from the souls that touch us, and thinking on our own, wanting things for the sake of wanting them on our own, figuring out so many complexities of life – all that makes us special. Tapping into our inner selves, regardless of how we appear to others, or if we are a part of the herd, is what should matter. You are okay, and there is nothing wrong with being normal. Every person is an individual, so you should know you are a part of the herd of special people; for everyone is a self that is not you, their souls are not yours. So why think like that?
In our quest to make sure we have the experiences we are supposed to have, according to the pundits, we forget that being a part of the norm is also an experience that makes us special. Being able to fit in, being able to relate with others, wanting the things others want, economic stability included, and being able to do all of it on its designated time, it is nothing to be ashamed of.
There's nothing wrong with not being special, and it's time we expect ourselves to be ok with it.
