Is Being Different Better Than Being Better?

The notion of being different can be daunting, scary, heart-wrenching, and overwhelming. It’s the soft cushion of fitting in that warms us with comfortability making it, at times, hard to stray from the norm. However, in reality, being different allows you to explore the realm of your own inner-workings. As opposed to trying to squeeze into a pre-constructed box while in the process, you're losing bits of yourself that won’t fit— an arm, a leg, or an inch of hair — all to become the best. The notion of being “better” is only temporary. It leaves you vulnerable and awaiting another achiever to topple your successes and rise above. That said, I beg the question, is it better to be different than it is to be better? 

Subconsciously we search for the conformity within us as we all want to be welcomed into society. But there is a side to all of us that seeks to be noticed, wishing to stand out just the right amount. Not too much and not too little. The desire to be desired is the most violent form of hunger that grumbles within many of us. But how can we achieve someone’s desire — whether sexual, professional or friendly — when we are so alike to one another because of societal restraints and influence? We don’t. We achieve the attention and notice of others because to them we stand out. In our society that is so bound by the desires of conformity in fear of being outcasted and ridiculed, it goes without saying that you are more likely to stand out being different than being better. 

The notion of being the best or better than others chains you to the same network of workings as your competition. Sure, being better than your competition can reward you with great advantages but is it not surpassing to be in your own sphere of the same category as opposed to being above others that can easily catch up? By being better you are not only at the top but also at the top of a blended pyramid of people all aiming for the exact same thing. If you seek the route of difference, it will be hard for those who wish to be the best to reign above you.  Plato once wrote, “being different, it [has] another field of knowledge.” Being different doesn’t seek to turn you into someone else. It doesn’t ask you to surrender pieces of yourself, rather it praises the skills and traits already buried within. By mining them out and honing them to your advantage, you aren’t necessarily better than the competition, but having those built-in qualities enable you to rise above them in a way unique to the people they already stand above. Ultimately you are a part of a separate field of knowledge only you are privy to. By being original, you are allowing for a growth of change and breaching a distinction that leaves you both noticed and apart. You are also expressing something that stands out which in the end can also lead you to be the best. However, being the best without difference is a whole other entity than being the best because you are different. 

Difference is built with the stones of creativity, while better is built with the stones of conformity. For many of us, the fear of being outcasted and displaced is ever so prevalent. Yet, more so than years prior, there is a wave of acceptance of the abnormal. Being different is praised more than it ever has been before. In my understanding, this gives us wiggle room and freedom. We can still conform and fit into society while also expressing and appreciating our differences. By doing this, we can accept the diversity rising us to the top of our own pyramids. We will stick out and in whatever way we choose. We are in control of our distinctions. Being the best means nothing when there’s someone out there doing the exact same thing. Being different means everything when people are fighting for similar goals as you, yet unable to stand out from one another.