You are unique. Why is that important, and what should we do about it?
Being unique is challenging. But our uniqueness is a vital element that can help us solve the situation humanity is facing.
All should be called for counsel, because the Lord often revealeth to the younger what is best.
Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter III
Being unique is challenging. But our uniqueness is a vital element that can help us solve the situation humanity is facing.
Why should we appreciate our uniqueness at all?
Understanding why and how you are unique unlocks your power. This understanding emphasises your strengths and abilities, giving you purpose, meaning, and direction.
It creates inner freedom and independence. Once you know yourself, you don’t need to rely on the opinions and appreciation of others. You can locate your worth inside yourself.
It allows you to tap into your creativity and intuition, the wellspring for action and problem-solving.
Being unique allows you to shift from a life of fear and scarcity to one of abundance. And this goes beyond you; the more we celebrate and empower the uniqueness of everyone, the further humanity shifts towards the richness of life.
St. Benedict knew about the importance of every person in a congregation. In the challenges and questions we have to face, it might be you to whom the divine reveals the truth.
Why is being unique a challenge?
Being unique is a threat to our societies and culture.
Once you recognize your own singularity, you understand that every living being is unique. Once you know how precious your own life is, you realize that every life is precious. That itself is inconsistent with a society built upon ostracism and exclusion, which carries the idea that to be a part of society, one has to prove one’s usefulness.
Together with agency, uniqueness has the potential to shake our current power structure and demand the shift from power-over to power-to. It requests a social fabric that empowers everyone instead of asking them to obey and toe the line, a fabric that recognises the participation and contribution of all are vital in creating resilient, integrated communities and societies.
What can we do about it?
The first and most important thing you can do is discover your uniqueness and allow it to unfold. Celebrate and enjoy the fact that you are alive, special, and precious.
From there, create space for others to discover and celebrate their uniqueness. Every encounter is a decision to create an empowering, nourishing relationship for all concerned.
Use technology differently. Most of our daily technology and tools are made to make us addicted and dependent; they draw our energy. Changing your relationship with technology will give you space, power, and freedom.
Raise your children in a way that invites them to discover their uniqueness and allows them to uncover and try out their potential and strengths. Invite them to think on their terms, to scrutinize, and to get to the bottom of the things that matter to them, even if that may lead them to question you.
Change work into something that creates agency—your own and that of everyone who is touched by it. Lead as an invitation to self-responsibility and self-leadership.
Our path unfolds beneath our feet. Caring about one's own uniqueness and that of others is a journey—a journey into the wildness, the beauty, and the power of life. Enjoy it, it's precious.