We all want to know that we matter in this world and that our life has meaning. Within us lies this inexplicable need to be Special. To know that we aren’t a mistake and we haven’t been forgotten.
As children, we lose ourselves in fantastical tales of wishes fulfilled. We relate to the story of the ordinary boy, who one day discovers he is the most powerful wizard in the world. We live vicariously through these characters, wishing, hoping, that we were just like them. If only.
As adults, myself included, we are no different. The longing to be special remains.
But with our need to be special, comes with it our fear of being different. As humanity, we are a walking contradiction, afraid of being ostracized. For we may dream of being recognized for our uniqueness, but we are also deathly afraid of shining our lights, and being our most expansive selves. As Marianne Williamson said:
“It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”
Kirsten Sonya Hansen 