Misfit

By Khushi Seth

Everybody wants to be "unique" but nobody wants to be an "eccentric", an outcast so to say the least;

Everybody wants to be the only unicorn amongst a herd of horses, 

the bejeweled diamond amidst lumps of coal, a rainbow on a sunny day, a rose moon- something or someone "different"- a word so often used to express the innate human desire to prove one's worth, that its veil conveying an inherent, cohesive, human yearning draped with false images of liberalist non-conformity, is becoming more and more redundant.

"Stand out. You don't need to fit in"- A phrase that may seem comforting at first glance to those longing for said "change", but doesn't a black sheep in a flock of white stand-out too? Doesn't a jackal living with a pack of wolves seem "different"? Is not the notion of wishing to lead a quiet life away from the hustle-and-bustle of the city "unique" in comparison to a lustful world chasing wealth and fame? 

The answer to all the aforementioned questions is inevitably, yes. But despite agreeing with this assertion, you, dear reader, too have been doing your very best to be "accepted" by society (whether consciously or subconsciously), all your life whilst wanting to be noticed for your efforts which you believe are individualistic. 

Why would a child scream when everyone is laughing? Why would a student dress up in the wrong uniform only to become a laughingstock amidst his peers? Why would one not conform to these made-up societal rules lest they become apparently oppressive? 

The simple answer is, they wouldn't. So when the world sees someone "different" in a way that does not appease to its romanticized ideas of individuality and identity, they're shunned and scorned and shamed. They're cast out from their community- deemed worthless, useless, negligible anomalies- people to be pitied and treated as cases of "charity". And if you do talk to such a person you're deemed benevolent and altruistic. And this is all somehow justified to satiate our hypocritical egocentrism.

What defines "normality"? A concept we've been more than familiar with since we entered our schooling years, watching others mock those who were "abnormal" and classified as "freaks" and "oddballs". Is it not but a societal construct? 

The mathematical average of a majority? The mean of the surplus? 

An ideal flaunted so often, that somebody who meets all its criteria is what we'd call "one-of-a-kind", "perfect". 

It's absurd. 

What is my point here?

Well, if one truly wishes to be noticed for their unparalleled gifts and be applauded by society on a set pedestal, one must accept that they will first be neglected, ridiculed and chastised for threatening either another's beliefs or their sense of ambition. For "acceptance", is in a sense, both a colossal barrier and a prodigious escape.

A lamp do err ought be lit,

And passed betwixt another misfit

By Khushi Seth