The One and Only
I’m the only me there was, I’m the only me there is and I’m the only me there will ever be. That’s a very refreshing concept when I think about it. It lets me know that I’m unique and special. Mind you not the kind of spoiled special who thinks I deserve everything but the kind of special that means I can influence the way the world works. I’m 28 right now so I figure if I’m lucky enough to live to 100 and beyond (I keep myself healthy by exercising, not smoking, and not drinking), I’ll be able to do something that makes a lasting, positive impact in this world.
Odd One Out
It didn’t take me that long in my life to realize that “one of these things is not like the other” and that thing was me. I started noticing that even as a preschooler, I was much more well-behaved than the other children. I didn’t have a naughty or wild streak in me. I very rarely acted hyper, hardly ever screamed or had temper tantrums or disrespected my parents or teachers. Even as I grew up, this well-behaved temperament evolved into not being a teenager. I wasn’t a traditional “teenager” by any stretch of the imagination. My physical attributes were there but the mental component of being a teenager just didn’t exist. The typical things that would excite a teenager like being in a clique, playing sports and going out to parties are all things I really never cared for. Science would always interest me more than sports because I was always excited about things that actually brought something new and different into the world. My dislike of school and sports stemmed from the very fact that they were so dull and unchanging. In school, you’d go to the same place, learn about the same subjects and have the same teacher. In sports, you’d throw a ball into a basket and the ball came out of the basket (not very impressive). Science and video games though were a completely different story. A special science that I had the most respect for was chemistry, with a special fascination with experiments. I thought it was so amazing that you can get two entities, whether liquids or solids, and combine them to create something totally different. Similarly, video games, unlike school, (especially when they became more advanced than Super Nintendo) would always be different with different places, different stories and unique characters. This is why when I was young, I’d spend most of my time in school daydreaming because being there would bore me out of my brain.
Automation Nation
Recognizing this potential in being different rather than accepting conformity, let’s go back to the reason I started this project in the first place. I talked about what steps we’re taking and what sacrifices we’re making to live happier and more productive lives. I also talked about in my previous posts what disdain I have for hypocrites. To answer my own question, I made a sacrifice by quitting my cushy, easy job in order to work on my online projects full-time. The steps I am taking are reading lots of books on any relevant topic, reaching out to people like me and creating posts and videos. In addition to these steps, I’ve also enrolled in a program by a friend of mine I met at a networking event to boost my online status. This is important because at the end of the day, I know I can’t live life like an automaton. The ironic part is that the people who live their lives like automatons usually end up getting replaced by them. That’s why I never want to end up in a dead-end job. However, I do not blame the people who took that kind of job because that’s the model our society is based on. That’s also why I asked the question of what’s just a distraction and what is it we really want. We may be miserable in our lives and use social media, TV and going to clubs as a distraction from what we REALLY want, and when it becomes a big enough distraction, we can even forget what we really wanted. When even these distractions aren’t enough to mask the pain that our spirits are feeling and when we realize we have so much more potential, that’s where the pharmaceutical industry comes in and tells us to take some anti-depressants. Well, I for one I am not falling for that. I’ll make my own path even if I have to forge it on my own.
History in the Making
I know I’m not the first person to have this kind of mindset but I’m sure throughout history most people who had this mindset were the ones who ended up changing it. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, said “energy and persistence conquer all things.” He was an author, inventor, scientist and a politician. I think most importantly of all though, he was a revolutionary not just in the American Revolution sense but in a sense of thinking differently from his fellow man. I like to think that I come from a very rich history. My ancestors are Persian. I was born an American and my religion is Judaism. Jews early on introduced morality into the world at a time when infanticide was viewed as an OK practice. The Persian Empire under King Cyrus created the first Charter of Human Rights (Cyrus Cylinder). Last but not least, there’s the American Revolution where it was declared that every (hu)man is created equal. Now am I proud? No, because these are not any of my accomplishments; they’re just my default settings. Instead of saying I’m proud, I’d say that I’m honored to be a part of this legacy and aim to keep it going. What I see today is that the modern world, with the advent of the airplane and communications technology, has become homogenized in more ways than one when it comes to what people do and the way they think. I’m hoping that in 2017 and beyond it will be history in the making and a victory for the taking as I try to spread a new revolutionary philosophy throughout the world. Letting people know that there is an alternative out there and that they don’t have to settle for illusions is my number one goal. The system of conformity that has been put into place and that most people have blindly followed must be taken down. Let’s celebrate our unique potential and individual talents rather than let them wither under a system of forced mediocrity.