Special VS Unique

It's nice to be special.

If you're special, it means that you stand out in a wonderful way. Special people shine more than the average person. They're wanted more, they're more successful, and they're happier. Everyone wants to be exemplary, because it means they're not common.

And so if being special is a way of gaining the adoration of others, it would make sense that people who adore you would tell you that you're special. There has been an entire generation of children who grew up being told just how special they were.

Truth is, most kids aren't exemplary, and most kids don't turn into exemplary adults. Many will struggle in vain to be 'the best' at something, and many will hate themselves for not being better than the masses. Many children can face much of the disillusionment that comes with growing up, but when life brutally knocks a child off the pedestal of greatness that their parent placed them upon, the fall can be hard and unforgiving.

Being special, at its core, is about being better. Depending on circumstances, it can often be about being one of the best. How special you are can also vary, and you can become less special, should others outshine you. Being special is about competition, superiority, and, ultimately, pride.

Yet at the end of the day, most of us want to tell ourselves that we're special, or that we could be special if we only had the means, or if luck served us right.

The truth of the matter is, that we as people are not all special. What each of us are, however, is unique. No two people in the world are identical. Nobody else has lived your life, made your choices, nor has anyone seen the world as you have come to. Your history and personality have shaped the individual you are, and the path you've walked is your own and nobody else's.

Being unique does not make you better or worse than your peers, as you can't be more or less unique than others. In essence, you could say that each of us are like pieces of a grand puzzle. Although we all may be similar, we all have something meaningful that only we as individuals can contribute to a bigger picture. Mind, we all still have to work to fit in, connect, and know where we really belong, but each of us is just as important as any other piece.