The following interesting incident offers much food for thought. Renowned comedian Charles Chaplin happened to visit a city and found an advertisement in the newspapers about a Charlie Chaplin look-alike competition.
On a sudden whim, he decided to participate. However, he lost! His reaction? “The showman succeeded, but the real man failed. None can match my mind and attitude, though they can match my looks. I loved losing more than the man who won, because I was the real Charlie Chaplin!’
This throws up a significant truth — among the billions who populate the world, there is none quite like you or me. Even identical twins are not wholly alike. What sets each one of us apart is the sum of genetic information, learning, experience, memory and intention. What’s more, at any given moment, it can alter the very next minute due to changing thoughts and experiences. This means that each individual is special and absolutely unique. It is a condition that confers both responsibility and freedom.
It is a reminder that each of us is best at one thing — being oneself. Being one’s authentic self means knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses and developing into the person one truly is. It has little to do with power or money. As somebody succinctly put it, we cannot all be stars in the sky, but we can, each of us, be a lamp in the world. Being the person one is born to be brings meaning and happiness no matter how humble the achievement.
Being ourselves is also letting go of competition with others. It brings peace of mind and the freedom to be who we are. There is a burst of creative energy to achieve what we want. We never need to stop growing an entire life-time. It is an absorbing task that each is uniquely suited for. We should stretch our spirits and engage ourselves to live life to the full.
Ernest Hemingway summed up the concept in unforgettable words, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow-men. True nobility is being superior to your former self.”