On Being Unique

Would you ever want to look, think or behave exactly like someone else? Well, even twins will shirk at this remote idea.

A chat over dinner with one of my colleagues (who happened to have a twin sister), revealed this surprising finding. She continued to lash at those who mistook her for her sister. From the conversation, I could sense her strong desire to want to differentiate herself.

And I can totally empathize her for feeling that way. Isn’t that one of the reasons why people protest against human cloning? We are made unique – each & every one of us. There’s no one in this world who could ever replace me or anyone else for that matter. Yet, with this beauty of being unique, also comes one’s fair share of pain & suffering. Being unique is a double-edged sword. Just as we are unique, it also brings along the difficulty & pain of understanding one another. The way we think, behave & love is different. Strangely so, but this is also the reason why we have so many psychological models & theories to try explain or grasp the human mentality & behaviour. Yet, till date, there has never been a complete or proven model that works consistently. So, the next time that you want to lament at God, for a broken relationship or hurtful insult from someone close to you, then what you are really demanding from Him : is to take away this special gift of being unique. Because this is essentially the price we all pay for being unique. And this is something that we are still coming to terms with. That we can NEVER change someone to be like us - to reciprocate what we gave or to accommodate us.

But God does not allow the same thing that happened in the Tower of Babel to repeat in us. As such, He sent us himself – Jesus. Jesus came to unite us. He becomes the answer :
1) The Life : That love can be the common DNA/chromosome that we all share despite our uniqueness.
2) The Way : That despite our uniqueness, help is on the way. A formula has been derived. We only need to follow it. We can all grow closer (similar) to one another as we model after a common personality – that of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself also strive to be like the Father throughout His entire life. He lives out the will of the Father. And He clearly says so in John 14 v 9 : “He who has seen me has seen the Father”
3) The Truth : It CAN be done. God Himself took the initiative. He does not need to CHANGE us : to get us to reciprocate or to accomodate Him. If anything, we ourselves must & want to do so. The response must come from us. It is US who wants to change.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
~ Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi