Coming in Third

 

Several years ago I heard the statement:

Every third person is either 

remarkably attractive, 

 unusually bright or both

I'm encouraged by this because the next time I'm in a room with three or more people I can glance to my right or left and look them over very closely. When I do, the chances are excellent that I will come to the conclusion that it is neither one of them. If the formula holds up that means it has to be me!

I am the third person!

This is also a great opportunity, under these circumstances, for me to claim my uniqueness in a world of 7 billion people and among all those humans there is no one like me, there never has been and never will be. 

If I may be so bold, this to me is a rather shallow way of envisioning myself. It's something I would tell my 5 year old grandchild but is it something I would tell an adult who is searching for meaning and purpose at whatever stage in life they are in at the time?  After all, the drive of most people is to blend in, not be noticed and do what everyone else is doing because that's what we've been told is the safest and best. 

"When you find yourself on the side

of the majority it's time to reflect"

Mark Twain                  

If so many are striving to be so customary then why bother with being unique? There is a less-regarded syndrome going around, especially in today's modern American society called 

The Dunning-Kreuger Effect 

which, simply put, is the thought that people with fewer talents and contributions erroneously think more highly of themselves and people of greater talent or ability think less of themselves. 

A good self image is never a bad thing but I must assert that there is more to a person than that. It's so much more than what a person thinks about himself/herself. It's more than simply having tattoos, or multi-colored hair. It's more than the style of clothes they wear or the kind of car they drive  or the number of body piercings.

Look at my yellow socks!

A person's individuality comes not from these things but rather how he or she employs their idiomatic personality. What contributions do they make? What service are they providing? To go around saying "I'm so great, I'm beautiful, I'm smart" is wonderful but then at the end of their shift at Taco Bell they go home, sit on the coach and watch TV or You Tube videos or play video games until their next shift, isn't really saying much about their intelligence or creativity.

Believing myself to be brighter than anyone else I need to produce evidence as to why I think that way and not just say it.