Everyone is special in this world.

Everyone is special in this world. Yes, indeed, everyone is special in this world.

How often we have been taught directly or indirectly by our elders, peers, education system and society at large that some people are special whereas others are not. And we often assume this fallacy as truth. But, the fact is completely different.

The fact is: “Everyone is special in this world. It is just that everyone’s speciality is in different areas/fields. The only thing that is needed is to recognize one’s areas/fields of speciality and work in those areas/fields with full courage, confidence and devotion.“

Let us consider the example of Amir Khan, a great actor, director and producer of Hindi Film Industry, Bollywood.

Reference: http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/11/25/i-used-to-often-get-punished-in-school-aamir-khan-64436

• He might be a superstar today, but Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has no qualms in admitting that he has undergone various punishments during his education days – from getting caned to kneeling down for the whole day.
• “When in school, kneeling down in front of the principal’s office was a regular feature. I have also been caned a couple of times. It is strange that when you get caned, you don’t realise the pain instantly, but after two seconds it shoots so badly… It’s awful, Aamir told reporters here.
• I used to be more interested in sports and hence used to always forget doing my homework. Also, poor marks used to create problems for me. I used to get scolded very often, he added.
• The 44-year-old actor also revealed that he only studied till Class 12 and never had a very good college life. “My education has only been till 12th standard because after that I got into films. Even while in college for my 11th and 12th, I used to hardly attend classes because I was always busy with dramatics.

Now,will any of us disagree that Amir Khan is special? No. It is just that his areas of speciality were not studies, but drama and acting. The same holds true for everyone. That’s why a wise person said, “Everyone is better than I in some field or the other. Hence, everyone is my role-model in some field.“

This uniqueness of every individual is what makes this world such a beautiful place. How much beauty can there be in a garden if there is only one type of flowers there? Diversity is a thing of beauty and must be celebrated and nurtured by all of us.

Some may have a special talent in painting, some may have in music, some in acting, some in singing or dancing, some in games and sports. Some people have a special talent in business, some in motivational speaking/writing, some in literature, some in sciences or technology and some in humanities. Some may have a special talent in administration, some in politics whereas some in social leadership. Some may have a special talent in making others laugh and feel motivated, some in making others feel and think about deeper issues of life. Some may have a special talent in nurturing others emotionally whereas some in cooking dishes or writing poems/stories. There are so many areas where one can have a special talent which, when cultivated properly, will make one live a fulfilling and productive life. It is indeed the greatest fallacy to say or think that some people are special whereas others are not.

If we are not able to nurture our speciality, it is not just our failure, it is also the failure of  our family, friends, education system and society at large. We rise as one society and we fall as one society. Our successes as well as our failures are collective. Let us fulfill our collective moral obligations to create a wise society

1. by recognizing that everyone is special in this world. It is just that everyone’s speciality is in different areas/fields. The only thing that is needed is to recognize one’s areas/fields of speciality and work in those areas/fields with full courage, confidence and devotion.
2. by respecting, promoting and nurturing the diverse talents present in ourselves, our family members, our friends and others.
3. by removing psychologically unhealthy comparison from our hearts and minds. Everyone is a unique individual, endowed with unique talents in one’s own areas of speciality.  What is there to make comparisons then? Keeping this in mind, we should nurture only psychologically healthy comparison where one tries to learn from others keeping this in mind: “Everyone is better than I in some field or other. And so am I too better than everyone in some field or other. Everyone else is special in their own areas and I am special in my own areas. Let me compare my abilities with others only with a view to learn and improve myself, without in any way hurting my or others’ self-confidence and self-respect. “
4. by removing psychologically unhealthy competition from our hearts and minds. The best victory is the victory over oneself. The highest honor is to compete with our own potential. The greatest joy is to give our best in our areas of speciality. We can definitely compete with others in a friendly and playful spirit just like we play games with our friends and try to outdo them in a competitive, but friendly and playful spirit. But, in no case we should indulge in or promote psychologically unhealthy competition with others. Indeed, the true competition is competing with our own potential in our areas of speciality with full courage, confidence and devotion.

Best regards,

Gopal