Life. And Stuff.

[Cast No Shadow]

OK, this is kind of a weird thread, but I read a quote, that said something along the lines of "no one comes into this world thinking they'll be ordinary. Everyone expects to make a difference". I can't find the original quote, but it's along those lines.

Do you agree with this? Do you want to be "ordinary", or do you expect to do something amazing with your life?

I always thought I was gonna be a teacher, and it's still my ambition, but it's on the back burner for a while now. I'm going to New York instead.

I think.

 

[david4wt]

OK, this is kind of a weird thread, but I read a quote, that said something along the lines of "no one comes into this world thinking they'll be ordinary. Everyone expects to make a difference". I can't find the original quote, but it's along those lines.

I do agree that nearly everyone like to think that they are special, different, that they'll make a difference. We're just all more similar to one another and more boring than what we like to think, but I don't think at all that it's a bad thing 🙂 we are all similar, everyone is trying to find his peace of mind 🙂

 

[Cheese Slices]

Yes, I think some part of us will always want to make a difference (be famous and all): part of me wishes I could become a great film director or novelist but on the other hand I'm not a very ambitious person and I just wish I'll have a peaceful and nice life. The wish for attention and ackowledgment is part of human nature, but it's more or less present depending on the person.

 

[sisterofmercy]

I don't think 'normal' really exists to be honest. It's all relative to the culture you happened to be born in. A lot of us want to be different in order to imprint ourselves on the world as they know that their time on earth is finite and running out day by day. However, some people do this by having a quiet life and starting a family rather than travelling and becoming famous. Or sometimes if they're lucky enough, they manage both.

I think we all want our lives to mean something and so we fill it with goals and aspirations in order to fill the void. Ultimately if you don't think you're going to make a difference in any shape or form in the world then what's the point?

 

[SlayerFest]

I think you pay some sort of a price for not being "normal". I don't know how to explain this properly haha. My philosophy is, the more "out there" you are, or the more "special" you are...the more you suffer. Reminds me of the song "Dumb" by Nirvana, most happy people, truly happy without any doubts about life, have to be kind of...naà¯ve or "not bright" haha (ignorance is bliss, apparently). I think there was some study done that showed how often times, people who suffer from depression are usually pretty intelligent because they overanalyze everything and they just...think too much. A lot of really spectacular, creative, and talented people were/are pretty unhappy. So if you don't end up curing cancer or something...just think about the awful anguish and despair the guy or gal who does must be in 😀...yeah, that's awful. To answer the question, I worry all the time that I'll be a failure, or homeless and schizophrenic. I truly do believe that everyone is special in some way, but not everyone discovers what their true talent is, or they're oblivious and don't work hard to improve it or succeed. There are those rare cases though...when it all just falls into place.

 

[Selfless705]

I dont like the word Normal too be honest. I feel as long as I live life liking who I am, and liking my actions I will feel good about myself. And as long as I have fun aswell, life is worth it 🙂 I dont expect to be famous, I want to live doing something I love, with people I love.

 

[Ripper666]

Everyone can make his or her life special. But everybody has to decide by himself what is special for him/her. For the one group they have a special life when they life happily together with another person having a house and maybe a child. For the other group a extraordinary lifestyle with puplic attention is a special life. Another group wants to ... . See what I want to say? Everybody can make his life special, he or she just has to do something. And everybody has another picture in his head what a "special life" is. 🙂

 

[ashleigh]

'Ghost Town' is one of my favourite films - it's where I fist heard the quote said: "Only a life lived for others is worth living" (Einstein) and I completely agree (in moderation of course). I think as long as I'm doing something that is truly beneficial to others and not just myself, then I'll be happy to be 'ordinary'.

Besides that I have some odd thoughts about 'normality' that I won't go into because no one seems to understand them. I don't even know if I understand myself 😱 😉

 

[Firefly]

Where does it come from? This quest... this need to solve life's mysteries for the simplest of questions can never be answered. Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we would be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. That's not human nature, not the human heart. That is not why we are here.

 

[Washburne]

Not so sure about being famous, that's not the kind of influence I want to have. But I do want to influence people. Which make working with children a good choice. I'd never want the attention the famous people do. In that way I want to be "ordinary".

The "fun" thing about the teenage years when you're trying to find yourself people have both the fear of being an outsider but also want to rebel, stick out and not be like everyone else. Then many want to be famous so badly so they go on tv (or youtube) and do silly/stupid things. The more stupid the better. 😉 People know who I am. I've made it!

I think there was some study done that showed how often times, people who suffer from depression are usually pretty intelligent because they overanalyze everything and they just...think too much.

From personal experience I'm not so sure about intelligent part (besides, there's many types of intelligence) but the thinking too much part sure fits me perfectly.

 

[Taake]

OK, this is kind of a weird thread, but I read a quote, that said something along the lines of "no one comes into this world thinking they'll be ordinary. Everyone expects to make a difference". I can't find the original quote, but it's along those lines.

This is going to drive me crazy, I recognize this quote and I can't remember where from... gah!

Anyway, I think there's a piece of truth in it, but at the same time I do think everyone makes a difference, perhaps not on a global scale but on a much smaller one to the people nearest to them.

But I suppose the quote kind makes you think that yeah, no, not everyone will be remembered in the way that certain other names have lived on like Napoleons, Einsteins etc etc but that's where for me the quote fails.
Cause I don't think everyone wants to make that kind of difference, being remembered - leaving for handprint in time so to speak - is ultimately as much as a blessing as a curse. Because it's rare that the person remembered is actually remembered for who he/she was.
The people who made a difference to this person may have passed into obscurity but they took their knowledge with them. Therefor we may have tidbits, quotes and inventions or historial and cultural changes left behind from those who made a 'global' difference but we can never truly know who they were or what they thought, felt and spoke or would even think about us and our time.
They become more or less figureheads, mysteries we can't solve, but I don't think this makes them anymore interesting than e.g. the people in their proximity who shared their life, joy and pain.

So for me, I think that some people do want to make a big difference, want to be remembered that way, but that plenty of people are plenty happy being 'ordinary' and knowing to themselves in their time that they're making a difference for the people around them in ways they can't even imagine.

Woah, that got long,
rant over *Steps off soap box and shuffles off* 😱

 

[kittenpoker]

This is a really interesting thread!!!! I don't know so much about making a huge splash - as it were - so the ripples you make in life spread far.....but I do think that in our own way we all want to shine.... to be special. This makes me think about the movie american beauty - where there's a line to the affect of deep down our biggest fear is that we're ordinary.

anyway to try and answer the question simply - yes I do want to be special.

 

[SlayerFest]

From personal experience I'm not so sure about intelligent part (besides, there's many types of intelligence) but the thinking too much part sure fits me perfectly.

Are you implying that you don't think you're intelligent? Most people who think too much, are pretty smart. I mean, you don't have to be some crazy genius haha. I knew a girl who wasn't the smartest person in the world. She didn't do that well in school, I mean she did alright but she wasn't a straight A student or anything, but she was intelligent and she did think way too much. Because she thought so much, she had really interesting ideas and theories about life, which surprised me, because when you spoke to her, she sounded kind of like an airhead (but yet when we'd text, she sounded really articulate...she was a strange one haha) so yes, some people are really smart in some areas, and not so smart in others. And she was pretty happy-go-lucky about life, so I'm also not saying that all smart people are depressed or anything.

 

[Jod]

I think you can be ordinary and make a difference, it may be a small to you but to others could mean more. and @ Cast no shadow you should go for the teaching one day 🙂 im a ta for primary children (with special needs) and i highly recommend!! you get to make a difference everyday 🙂

 

[Washburne]

Are you implying that you don't think you're intelligent

We can skip the implying. I don't consider myself smart, no. Not that it automatically mean that I'm right. I do have my moments though. At best I can say that I don't always see things or solutions the same way as the majority. Sometimes it can lead to "smart" conclusions but mostly just misunderstandings. Also, I often find out that the misunderstanding is because of me and that I'm "wrong".

In school I was always below average if that's anything to go by. We can go through all the supposed intelligences and see where it lands. 😉

Now, convince me that I'm smart. Please. 😀

 

[This Year's Girl]

I don't think everyone have the articulated ambition to make a difference, but I think everyone does, in someones life in some way, no matter what. Actually, this was one of my biggest realisations this year so far, that I DO make a difference. My prescense in a room or in a group matter. Relationships we have and people we meet changes and influences us. I am who I am today because of the people I have met and they are who they are because of me (among others).

As far as a structural level goes. Yes, I want to make a difference. We're all in this together and I want to work for solidarity and equal rights. I allready am.

 

[sk]

I've never had much of an ambition in life. All I want is to take it easy and do the things I like to do.

Making a difference in any way has never felt very important.
Not even sure if I would feel comfortable knowing that stuff I do had some kind of larger impact on others. Seems like too much responsibility...

/SK

 

[Kean]

I definitely want to do something with my life that matters. I don't want to go down in infamy, but when I'm 95 I want to be able to say that I tried to leave this world better than how I found it.

One of the best experiences of my life was mentoring a group of girls during a week long leadership course. They were, uh,...rough around the edges when I met them. The term "Plastics" wouldn't of have been too far off to describe them, but by the end of the week they were totally unrecognisable. I saw, right in front of me, that I helped those girls. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

I think about entering politics a lot, but ultimately I always decide against it. I don't have it in me to play the game that comes with politics, it would play me; and I don't know if I could do any good in that environment.

I've thought for a long time that if I am going to do something that matters it had to be my job. I'm starting to come around to the idea now that I can have a career that pays the bills and contribute positively to my community in my own time. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.