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Imagine
if we all looked alike, wouldn’t that make the world a
boring place? The
other day I was looking at a crowd in a huge gathering
and I thought how interesting it was, so many faces and
not even one resembling the other.
I
am always so fascinated by this art of nature in which
by using just a few elements billions of people are
created each having his/her own individuality (except
of-course for identical twins).
The
same thing goes for human nature and characteristics,
each of us thinking in a different manner and looking at
things based on our own individuality.
It is only by understanding this individuality of
character and thought of a person that we are able to
contain ourselves and be less harsh on his/her
behavioral habit. People
are indeed different, They should be different.
understanding this will also make us less
judgmental and more objective.
It is people’s unique individuality that makes
them more interesting and the world a vibrant colorful
dynamic place. It
is this individuality that colors the world with its
endless variations.
Individuality is like a window overlooking our
planet through which we each see something different.
When
this uniqueness is mixed with creativity, artistic
expression is the result.
The form of a tree could be depicted by an artist
such as Vincent Van Gogh with a bold, colorful approach,
but an oriental or a Persian artist could paint a tree
in a completely different
manner, using delicate, fragile strokes of the
brush and neutral coloring. In the hand of an artist
such as Picasso, the tree may be unrecognizable,
presented to us in a highly imaginative layout.
Composers
create songs quite unlike each other although some times
using the same instrument.
Compare Beethoven and Gershwin.
Both played the piano, but using its eighty-eight
keys they came up with variant melodies.
Great
works of literature are those that will withstand the
test of time and become never-forgotten classics.
Authors such as Jane Austin, Charles Dickens,
Nabokov, Virginia Wolfe, Louisa May Alcott, and James
Joyce are some of the many that have succeeded
beautifully in expressing their feelings and thoughts in
words.
It
fascinates me that the Bronte sisters –Charlotte and
Emily – lived in the same house, set on the same
moors, but each responded to their surroundings quite
differently. Charlotte
cared more about human relationships while Emily tried
to discover man’s place in the elemental world of
storm and passion.
When
individuality is intermingled with curiosity and
intelligence mankind finds the world of scientific
discoveries. Two
men that greatly influenced the field of science were
Galileo and Albert Einstein.
Galileo,
an Italian astronomer and physicist, has been called the
founder of modern experimental science.
He discovered the law of the pendulum and the
famous law of falling bodies. He also discovered many
important new facts about astronomy.
He firmly upheld the theory of Copernicus that
the earth moves around the sun.
The church bitterly opposed Galileo
They forced him to say that he gave up his belief
of Copernicus , and sentenced him to an indefinite
confinement to his villa in Florence.
Albert
Einstein is best known for his theory of relativity
which revolutionized scientific thought with new
conceptions of time, space, mass, motion, and
gravitation. In
doing so, he showed the limitations of Newtonian physics
and provided a new framework for looking at our
Universe.
When
individuality is combined with the questions of man’s
nature and needs, society finds its men of religion,
statesmanship, and philosophy.
Religion
can best be defined as the belief that a divine power
created the world and influences our lives.
A
statesman is one who exercises political leadership
wisely. Gandhi
exercised this leadership in the finest ways, ending
years of oppression by a super power of his time in
India without violence.
Churchill’s personal courage, the magic of his
words, and his faith in victory inspired the British to
“their finest hour”.
Mandela suffered for years to prove that humans
are all equal and given the opportunity can equally
contribute to better their lives.
Philosophers
seek to understand the mysteries of existence and
reality. Three
influential philosophers were Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle. Our
ideas in the fields of metaphysics, science, logic, and
ethics originated from their thought.
Socrates tried to get a definition or a precise
view of some abstract idea by using a
question-and-answer method.
Plato believed that we cannot gain knowledge of
things through our senses because of their inherent
limitations. Aristotle
was the father of scientific thought and inquiry.
He approached any problem from what we know and
proceeded by seeking the answers to the question –
how, what, and why.
However to explain man’s existence and origin
he developed the idea of a “first cause”, meaning
something not caused by anything.
Later , this concept was embraced by Christian
theologians to explain the existence of God.
One
can go on and on…..indeed man’s uniqueness of
thought and approach to life has made the world the
colorful place it is.
Throughout the history, those who were different
with unconventional thoughts, had to pay big prices for
their uniqueness but finally they prevailed.
We
all have a spark of individualism in us, making
potential for us to do something great.
Many of us are afraid and prefer to be one of the
crowd lest the tag of unconventional.
Those who are daring enough to be different,
hopefully in a good way, will leave a name that will
never die.
So
don’t worry if you are different and
don’t hesitate to be yourself, let your genius
out.
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