He felt frightened at being different from his brothers and sisters. It scared him to be different.
--E. B. White
How ugly and wrong it makes us feel to be different: to be tall when others are short, slow when others are fast, black when others are white.
The miracle, and paradox, is that everyone is different - and that is what makes us all the same.
When we think honestly about the people we admire - friends, sports heroes, actors, musicians, parents, teachers, employers - we know that all of them, as human beings, not heroes, have felt out of place in their lives, probably many times.
Believing we are alone or different cuts us off from others. Climbing over that protective wall of "differentness" is scary, but it is guaranteed to set us free.
How can I let go of my "differentness" today?
