Quote of the Week...from Margaret Mead

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
                                                     ---Margaret Mead

The above quote by renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead may seem terribly ironic...even humorous, by laying out a profound truth in the form of two superficially contradictory statements.  Yes, each of us is unique, and it's healthy to regard oneself that way...think for yourself, I like to say, and don't ever buy into others judging you because of some category like race, gender, age, politics, religion, national origin, disability, etcetera.  By the same token, there's Part Two of Ms. Mead's quote that exhorts each of us to recognize the unique nature of others and to refrain from the same arbitrary judgmental attitude that we should reject when done to us.  Or, in a more Biblical sense: Do to others as you would have them do to you...

On the other hand, our uniqueness doesn't exempt us from social responsibility and we shouldn't use our specialness as an excuse to avoid them...especially when we hold the rights that are recognized for us by society in such high regard.  Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand...one cannot exist without the other in a context of liberty...

It's a shame that I grew up in a social environment that refused to recognize and respect my  own unique nature...instead I was subjected to taunts and bullying at school and the bus stop, and my perspective on things...even those directly concerning me...was ignored and/or discouraged by authority figures in my young life: no respect whatsoever.  My experiences in this are probably not unique: many of us have to spend pretty much the rest of our adult lives struggling to set our brains straight and in a positive direction after being force-fed so much crap in our youth: heeding Margaret Mead's quote is a good step to begin with...