Differently Similar

Differently Similar

I like a world where there are differences, and the incongruity fascinates me. I see a couple walking down the street; one person is glamorous and beautiful, the other a slob. I still don’t know what my wife sees in me, but judging by the other strange pairings I usually see out and about in public, some people have strange standards of what is beautiful and what is ugly.

For us ugly people, it’s really nice there is some tolerance in the world for the unattractive, but the attraction of opposites doesn’t stop there. Every day you can hear warning voices of doom and gloom, and then there’s the opposite side like me who think everything is great with the world. I wonder about a world where there are people who love to work and work really, really hard. Then there’s me, who prefers to laze about every chance I get. I have to schedule myself pretty tightly or I really don’t get much done, and the regular schedule seems to others to be one of busyness, but really it’s just me trying to keep myself busy.

It makes me sad to see those who go through life unhappy, when there is so much to be happy about in the world. I know there are problems in the world, and the tragedies make me sad, but I don’t have to be this way all the time. There are problems everyone deals with everyday, and yet they seem to find a way to cope. Life is more than sobs and sniffles, but there are times for that, too.

Passion and apathy seem to be polar opposites, too. I’m really amazed at the passion which people have for their hobbies; spending hours and hours doing things others might consider insanity. I’m not prepared here to criticize the interests of others, because I have some hobbies others think are insanity. From windsurfing, skiing and collecting rocks to gardening and selling little trees on EBay, most people just shake their heads and walk away slowly. But what surprises me more is how much apathy fills the world, where it seems many people just don’t care about what is happening anywhere but here. It’s sad to see how self-absorbed some of us have become. If it doesn’t have to do with us or our family, or maybe those we know, then most of us don’t really care enough to be interested. Can our world expand beyond our living rooms and the television? Do we care enough about our neighborhoods and cities to actually leave the house and do something which doesn’t directly benefit us? Something which might make this world a better place?

What is really interesting about finding out what difference you are here to make is, it changes your perspective. The world becomes a place of possibilities instead of problems; a place where scarcity is replaced plenty; a place where we can love others as ourselves, because we get outside ourselves.

What is it you are here to do? I can’t answer that, but I do know you are here to do something no one else can do. That’s why you are here. You make a difference, and no one but you can determine what that difference is going to be. Perhaps you will be the one to lead us to a happier place where we can all finally get along. This reminds me of what Jonathan Swift said almost 400 years ago. “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” Does another 400 years have to pass before we realize we are more alike than we are different?

When I think of all of the time we have wasted persecuting those we hate? Think about the energy it takes to keep all of the enemies in the world hating each other. Let’s think of a way to harness all that time and energy to unite us in purpose and direction. I’m doing my best to try to get us all to be a little more positive; what is it you can do this week to bring about more unity?

Here’s the weekly assignment. Smile instead of frowning when you get cut off in traffic. Wave your whole hand instead of one finger, unless you’re telling me I’m number one. Stop to think about what others may have had to endure this day before you snap at them because you’ve had a bad day. Cheer up someone else by saying “Thank you”. Don’t forget to tell those you care most about how important they are in your life. This whole process starts with us, today, right now. I’m glad we’re all different. It’s why we’re here. Now go out and get busy.

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