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Individuality

Thoughts on Originality and Individuality

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Individuality
Juan Pablo Ocampo

Homo Sapiens. Humans. People. We all strive for individuality and original thought but after centuries of human evolution and knowledge, does originality truly exist anymore and what is the cost of individuality. Perhaps the only original ideas left are the possibilities of imaginary made-up ideas and tools that have yet to be created or improved upon, words that have yet to be defined, or a new sound or remixed beat or melody. Currently in this day and age we are confronted by more infrastructure, rules, and guidelines than ever before. Rules that define who we are and that keep the system we've created from falling apart. In turn we work around these guidelines as best as possible, but for what? Why must we be trapped by these invisible guiding rules when everything is made up and the only real things in life are what we choose to define as real and what has the greatest impact on us. Lines of paint on concrete serve as barriers between cars hurtling around 45 mph in opposite directions. The alphabet is set in a particular order although there is no reason for it to be. Imaginary lines create borders between countries, cultures, and other people. The point I'm trying to get across here is that everything is fabricated and imaginary including our own limitations in society. Limitations placed on us by our ancestors old fashioned and confined understanding of what the world is and how it works. In the past as our grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc… rushed towards individuality as they created new ways to separate themselves from anyone who was different. This came at a great cost to the rest of the world as it separated humanity as a whole into tiny specific subsections. Instead of celebrating our differences and learning how to coexist with those who are different than we are, we keep a very self-centered, individualistic view of the world. A view that makes us forget that we are all one species, sharing finite resources, for a span of time so short that our lives look like insignificant specks of dust. So what can be done? The bad news is that there are generations of knowledge that need updating, ideas that need to be refreshed, and countless people that hold on to their old beliefs with tightly clenched fists. The good news, however, is that we are HUMAN. We have the highest intellect of all creatures in nature. We have the ability to learn, to adapt, and change our reality as much as we dare ourselves to. Don't get me wrong the goal of individuality is not something to be feared or stopped, but the idea of basing it on appearances and not the depth of someone's mind is outdated and wrong. So let's take the original infrastructure of individuality and breathe new life into it's very concept and make up a new idea that will support cohesion between others and communities worldwide. Let's remove these old notions without fear and make way for a society with less limits around it's people. It's Humans. It's Homo Sapiens.

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