Every individual in the world is unique.  Each and every one of us has a set of physical and mental traits that are different from those of anyone else who has ever lived.  We should not take this fact lightly.  Too often we envy others and wish we could somehow be like them.  Some of us try hard to be like someone we admire.  But, although we may be able to imitate others, we can never be truly like any other person.  We must be ourselves. In the words of the nineteenth century philosopher and theologian, William Ellery Channing, "Every human being is intended to have a character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no other can do."

This does not mean, however, that we shouldn't try hard to improve on what we are.  We all have the potential to grow throughout our entire lives.  What we are ten years from now may be very different from what we are today.  But we will still be unique. Instead of trying to be like another person, we should try to cultivate within ourselves the traits we most admire in various other people. 

We must try to find out where our greatest talents are.  And, make no mistake about it, absolutely everyone of us has talents.  Our talents may be very well hidden at the moment, but they are certainly there.  Some of the most successful people in history thought they had no talent until they finally discovered their special hidden talents. We don't need singers who sing like some superstars of the past, or writers who write like some of the great writers of the past, or people in any field who are carbon copies of some former person in the field.  We have already experienced what others can do, and we long for the discovery of new and unique talents in every field.

Much of what we will ultimately become will be the result of imitating traits that we admire in various other people.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. One of the best ways to learn what kind of person we would like to become is to observe others.  In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "There is a difference between imitating a good man and counterfeiting him." Instead of trying to become a carbon copy of someone else, we should aspire to become a unique individual who may well be at least partly a composite of many other people we have known.

The important thing is to realize that we are important as individuals.  It may be unclear to us at the present time just what our role in life will be, but we can be sure that we all have a role to play.  And that role is never to become a carbon copy of someone else.

Copyright 2014 Allen W. Smith

NOTE: Comments are welcome and encouraged. 

TB-83—Posted—06/18/2014