The Essence of Being Extraordinary (Part 1?):
Oxford defines the term 'extraordinary' as 'something beyond the ordinary'. Other searches lead to somewhat similar results (remarkable, uncommon, exceptional). What makes me ponder is the simple fact or rather the question, what exactly is extraordinary? I'm talking beyond the mere vague definition. Extraordinary. The notion of being extraordinary is subjective and hence varies with meaning between individuals. If so then how can we classify what is and what is not extraordinary? Does something have to merely pass 'our' expectations to be classified as such?
People are extraordinary. Picture an extraordinary person right now. If you did, I can safely say that it was someone famous, or someone with a high intellectual capacity, not limited to these two factors but you get the idea. We've been hard wired to think that way. The fact that only the aforementioned type of people are classified as extraordinary is primarily the reason why the 'ordinary' kind - you and I - never aspire to be extra ordinary. It seems being extraordinary has pre requisites attached to it that are not fairly common among you and I. Or that is what you've been trained to belive. The geniuses of this world, the leaders, the philosophers and free thinkers, are extraordinary. I wouldn't disagree with that. But then being extraordinary is already expected of them. Not to mention that these greats, are present only in a handful amount in the world. Which brings me to the second part of this rambling session. What about the rest of us?
There are 7 billion of us on this rock. Many of us toiling away at menial jobs. Where we live isn't anything special either. We hang around ordinary people talk of ordinary things and at the end of the day we go to sleep only to awaken and repeat what seems an endless cycle of being just plain ordinary. But thats only one side of the story. That what society judges to be ordinary makes you the exact opposite. The job that you don't like, but keep showing up to, because it pays the bills and deep down you know you're better off doing something than kicking and whining about it. You live in an ordinary house because it doesnt matter for as long as you have a roof over your head and loved ones waiting, its enough. How you rise up everyday and continue to do with hard work and dedication because you believe that some day the hard work will pay off. Being extraordinary then it seems is in the little things that you do in a way that even failure serves to only anger you just enough to make you roll up your sleeves and go at it again.
Extraordinary is who you are because of what you do. Ordinary people doing ordinary things, day in and day out, in the hopes that the effort will pile up and make the journey worthwhile. That to me, is remarkable, exceptional and definitely not ordinary.
