The Struggle Of Being Not So Different
We should never have to correct who we are
‘You just like to think you’re different,’ someone told me once. ‘You try to be special, but once people know you, you’re not so different,’ someone else said. In their defence, I will admit to having been young, foolish and arrogant in equal measure back then.
The reality was I had always felt different from those around me. And I didn’t consider it a good thing at first. On the contrary, I remember how hard I fought internally to fit in. Everything is simpler when you can relate to what most people deem significant, fun or positive. I am aware of the moment I realised I wouldn’t pursue normality: most boys and girls in secondary school began to show inclinations I found boring, irritating or outright despicable. Naturally, I could only stand my ground because I was fortunate. On the one hand, I had been raised to think for myself. On the other, I wasn’t alone.
Moreover, the internet upended our reality rather suddenly. Suddenly, we didn’t need to get on with those directly around us because we could choose anyone in the world to be virtually around us. Physical interactions were still essential, but something clicked in our minds — at least the minds of those who allowed themselves to taste the opportunities brought by the hyperconnected world — that we…