My Philosophy, Part 5: I Am Not Special

I am not special.

I believe that I am unique.  My genes, inherited from my parents and my ancestors, have been recombined in a new arrangement through the marvel of sexual reproduction.  My environment, my family, my education, all my experiences have created me as a unique individual, but does that make me special?  I have the fortune of being born an American, white, and male.  I also sense that everything is around me; I am at the center of everything that I perceive.  I am at the center of my universe.  Does that make me special?

On a bell curve, any of my attributes is pretty average, within one standard deviation of the mean.  I am average; I am normal.  

My actual thinking about this was the question: do I have more of a right to God's blessings than anyone else on this planet?  Should my prayers be listened to more than those of a child in Somalia?  Or now with the current news, do I have more of a right to a home, to peace and security than a Syrian refugee?

I am very fortunate.  I enjoy many privileges and benefits that seem to be my birthright.  But, I do not merit my birth, I did not earn it.  And for me to say that I merit all the benefits of my birthright is arrogance in the face of all my brothers and sisters on Earth.  

Do I have a right to life?  Then why will I one day die?  The cancer cell, the virus, the bacteria, or the blunt force of a car crash all testify that I do not have the right to life.  I could not walk down the street in Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan with any assurance of life or liberty.  I dare say that I could not walk in certain places here in America with total assurance of my right to life.

Do I have a right to liberty?  Then why do I often feel compelled to be and stay in a particular place when I do not want to be there?  Do I have a right to health?  Then why am I subjected to illness?  Do I have a right to free speech?  Then why am I afraid to speak my mind?  Why am I afraid of others reactions to this very blog post?  Do I have the right to happiness?  Then why does depression seem to run in my family?  If I were special, wouldn't I granted what I wanted and needed?

From experience I learned that I was not special.  I used to think I had all the answers, now I do not believe that.  I used to think there was a natural order of people in our society with the "better" ones on top.  I thought that our leaders were smarter, wiser, more spiritual, better than me; but as I became privy to the hierarchy of a few organizations, I found that the people on the top were not any smarter than the rest of us.  They were just on top.  They were not special, just as I was not special.

Not being special means that I am human.  I truly share this life and this world with all my brothers and sisters.  It means that my experiences will resonate with others.  It means that I can understand others, and others can understand me.  I have moved from my individualistic view of myself to a more democratic view, I am very much like everyone else.  I am me, but I am just one of billions living and breathing, sharing so much. 

I am not special.  I am your brother.