Statistically you have about seven doppelgangers across the world. You are a member of a race, your heritage, and therefore a culture. These things can define a person.
According to Meyers-Briggs there are only sixteen personality types, according to the enneagram there are 9, and according to astrology twelve signs. (A sign per aspect of your personality, we believe in full natal charts in this house don't worry.) These things can define a person.
It seems pretty evident that you can narrow people into categories whether its by face or by personality. So the question begs: Is anyone actually unique?
We pride ourselves on the things that make us the way we are, however our environment shapes us just as much as our genes do and about the only truly original thoughts we had were before we were even conscious enough to form words to express them- and even then probably not. A lot of people battle with existentialism, and the feeling that you are a not entirely unique in this world is a similar sadness that I cant find the word for.
Now yes, there are things about you that are absolutely original. Like maybe the exact shape of your birthmarks or your fingerprint. But your speaking cadence, your vocabulary, and pretty much any aspect of your personality is collected and cultivated through your genetics and your external experience.
I'm an actress. People ask, "Where did this come from, has anyone in the family been in theatre before?"
"No," my parents always reply. "She's the first one."
What they fail to mention is that my mother puts on a happy face that nobody can see through and my father's pranks rely on his ability to stay in character.
We are original in the way a patchwork blanket is original. We didn't weave the actual fabric or create any of the textiles but we did stitch it together in a way that looks pretty cool. And thats about the only way we can get through the struggle of being utterly and entirely replicated.
I often wonder if there ever has been any original thought in the same way that I wonder if the year is ever really new. The month of January begets reflection and regrets. We wish we were better than we are.
It is at this time of the year when gym memberships are made, holiday candy is thrown out, and I swear I'm going to take better care of myself. It is also at this time of the year that is important to recognize we do not build ourselves. We are bundles of energy getting recycled through time and space, it is never truly up to us what we are. This is an unfortunate truth to hear when you believe you are in control of your own life. The realization that you can trace every piece of yourself back to something that existed long before you makes one feel meaningless. Whether you believe we are or not, the looming feeling does not fade.
Why is this bummer of a blog post relevant to a "happy new year?"
If we can learn to transcend the pieces of ourselves in order to look at the whole, we would all be much happier.
Sure, the quilt wasn't exactly hand made. It wasn't thoughtful, we grabbed scraps from what was around. But you wouldn't turn it down on a cold January night, would you?
In this year, this month, and this moment, I urge you to focus on yourself as a whole. You'll realize no matter how separate you believe the aspects of your life to be, you are the thread which stitches them together indefinitely. If you are trying to better one specific thing, do not. Aim to be better in all areas. Aim to be happy. After all, looking at the facts we don't have much that we can hold onto as solely ours.
But our experiences as individuals are exempt from this statement. So make memories, add a patch here and there if need be, and remember you may not be entirely your own, but that doesn't mean it isn't absolutely extraordinary.
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