Thoughts about-"being special"

Thoughts about – „ being special „

In our society everyone wants to be something special. Often the word is used: “etwas besonderes sein” or to be “a special individual”. Many are effectively looking to represent something special and unique without actually knowing why they want to do this. This is a phenomenon already existing since a very long time. Already in old Egypt the Pharaohs proclaimed themselves as “God sent” or even as Gods. This even goes back further in history. Anyway since that time the normal crowd/population created a wish inside them, to be like these humans who are worshipped. This wish is still rooted in our total subconscious and expresses itself in many ways. The consumption industry recognized that and is using this wish of many for their own profit. In almost every commercial the word: “special” or “unique” falls.

What does “Individual” actually mean ? On Wikipedia we find the following definition:

“As commonly used, an individual is a person or any specific object in a collection.”

So here it is defined as a person. And more precisely as a specific person or object in a mass of other persons or objects.

It is also written: “In the 15th century and earlier, and also today within the fields of statistics and metaphysics, individual means "indivisible", typically describing any numerically singular thing, but sometimes meaning "a person." (q.v. "The problem of proper names").”

In this sentence from the definition it is explained that an individual is “indivisible”, which in my opinion comes close to the truth, as a person is a unique composite or a whole, of many factors which flow together to create one, like f.ex. The basic character and the environment around the person growing up, friends, family ect.

The definition continues: “From the seventeenth century on, individual indicates separateness, as in individualism.[1] Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires.”

Now this sentence is interesting as it stresses out that from the seventeenth century on, an individual means being separated from the mass. So as already said in my previous sentence a person is a unique composition of factors but also separated from others. So here in this sentence it is said clearly that one has to separate from the mass to be an “individual”.

Well what does it mean to separate from the mass? It means exactly that one should try to be different from the others. And when I say the others I mean those who are supposed to be "normal" or those who are not "special". This is in fact an arrogant and megalomaniac way of thinking, because it is supposed that if one is something "special", one is superior to those who are only "normal". The sense of reverence and of respect towards those with higher knowledge and wisdom is lost since some thousands of years now. They were respected for their knowledge and wisdom and were often asked for advice but they were neither worshipped nor considered as something "special" as we understand it today. Many think that extravagant stuff, like life threatening and extreme sports fulfil this condition. Others think fulfilling this condition by being extremely smart. Others again try to fulfil this condition by gathering extremely expensive material goods. There are also those who proclaim themselves as Gurus and wise ones. To this, those who think that by being anarchists, revolutionaries, and extremists in the name of a God, a party or an ideological movement, they can fulfil this criterion.

This separation however creates unrest and is working against peace and love. Separation is the worst sign of imperfection that exists. It creates separation in families, in party’s, in governments, in companies etc. I do not say that injustice and criminal acts should not be punished, but only that many try so hard to be something “special”, that she or he forgets or loses out of sight, that she or he already is something special, because a person is a unique combination of factors in a specific time period that will never appear again. A personality/person is a unique diamond created from “the source”, with its own dreams, own responsibilities, own wishes, own desires and own thinking. That is also why it is a crime against Creation to steal someone else’s life by murder or mass murder or one’s own life by suicide.

You who are reading this, you are something special, no matter what you work or where you live. Do not let yourself being influenced so much by the constraint: “Being something special”.

Thank you for your attention.

Neckel 14.5.2010