STAND ALONE (your unique label to greatness)

We manifest little of the vast potential that resides within us because we are used to playing small, because we fear to stand alone. The man who discovers his unique call but wait for society to part him on his back to begin his journey is yet to be a man. Society wont trust him with the mission if he shows any sign of smallishness. It is like a designer who says buy my clothes but i don't know if they are good. Society respect such a one who knows what he wants. A doctor must prove himself manly and express no doubt if he wants the trust of his patients. Many look up to people to tell them who they are, what they are capable of but society count us capable when we show independence in our thinking and judgement. The man who shows no independence in his reasoning will always find himself relying on the instructions or advice of the majority who lack direction in life but find convenience in dominant or wide spread belief. Only few who are ready to stand alone walk through the path less traveled. Simply because it is the path most traveled does not make it the right road. Sometimes playing safe means playing small. Many end up playing safe because they prefer to avoid criticism from the majority. They are those who have chosen the opinion if the majority over their dreams, over their potentials, over their callings in life.

We spend our years obeying traditions that don't serve is well. There comes a time in a man's life when he must learn to stand alone and face the topple crowd who do not know exactly what they want but feel safe because they are among the majority who feel no external pressure but are inwardly discontented with their lives. No growth, no change, no evolution but keep maintaining dead tradition and customs because it just feel very convenient.  They fear to confront the norm but instead conform to it at the expense of their dreams, their purpose, their happiness and inner peace.

Society is ready to tell us where we best fit, where we belong  if we fail to choose for ourselves. But while choosing we must be ready to fight for our right, our dreams because in real sense it is a fight. A fight that is not physical but mental and emotional. A fight that requires the evolution of our emotion because our self esteem is involved in this fight. The physically challenged boy who sit at the corner of a street is easily stereotyped as a beggar and many easily look upon him with pity and many drop coins in his laps even  when in reality  he is not a beggar. In the eyes of the society that blind boy is not fit as a lawyer, a teacher, or comedian to them he is an invalid, a waste to a generation as society can't see beyond their physical limitation. They are treated as a marginalized members in many societies. Society is ready to feed him by giving him coins than listening to that genius that resides within him. Many stopped fighting and succumb to the life of beggary. Society is comfortable treating that blind boy as a beggar than seeing him on the platform cracking jokes as a comedian. They are lost and fail to get his jokes as they focus so much on his physical disability.  To them he can't be a dancer because because she lost a limb. He can't host a show because he is on a wheel chair. She can't be a model because she has vertigo. Society keep telling us where we best fit and as such keep producing mass of confused and invalid individuals who are not forces of change. Many wanting to be a married member of the society as a result of pressure end up in marriages they don't like and with spouses they don't love. And we see how much this has led to the rise in  divorce in many  societies today.

Today society sells to us confidence in exchange with the beer. Alcohol now defines the social standing of a man. Take away the beer from the table and the man sees himself less than a man, he sees himself like a boy or more closely like an anti-social individual. In many social gathering the man who says no to alcohol is labelled as a week man and he gets his self esteem injured in the crowd. Many in an attempt to escape the label gulp the beer even when it is not in their constitution to do so. It is quite absurd to give so much credit to the liquid that has the capacity to disrupt the motor coordinator of a man and make him lose his physical balance and make him do foolish things when under the control of such liquid by virtue of the number of bottles he takes than the capacity his frame can support.

Religion is creating more bigots than saints and we have seen the direction where this has led the human specie. The increase rise of prejudice which has led many down the road of violence, blood shed, massacre, suicide bombing is often a result of one man trying to prove the superiority of his own religion over that of his fellow man. Hate , resentment, fuel many religious debate as a result of one man trying to condemn the system of worship of his fellow man.  Religion which is put in place in order to convey moral virtue and support human existence has now become a means where a man fight his fellow man, disagree with his fellow man  and to a large degree has led to the feeling of separateness among mankind. Religion which is put in place to unite mane with man and make his express that piece of God to his fellow man has created to a large extents religious bigots. To what end then was religious put in place? If you put away your system of worship ( religious doctrine) will that piece of God still remain in you?

Standing alone requires also that we build our emotional intelligence as our intellectual strength often fail us when fellow man tries to prey on our emotion. Fear is often that tool which man use against his fellow man in order to render his intellectual power of non effect. We see how seemingly intelligent individuals do dumb things because they lack the emotional capacity to confront seemingly threatening situations. Hence they follow the crowd and add up to the majority who lack direction in life and lack  personal voice of their own. Social media has now become a platform where a man who in an attempt to expand his "like chain" and make many type "amen" instill fear in them by assuring them they will have seven years of bad luck if they fail to do so. It is amazing how people allow others to control their mind and take advantage of their vulnerability.

To be a different maker you must learn to accept some labels. These labels are often intended to injure our self esteem and pull us on the side of the majority who are confused and who allow their lives to be governed by popular opinions. Society has succeeded in producing a mass of overly busy individuals who lack direction, vision, and dreams but pride themselves in the fact that they go out early in the morning and come back late at night and as such are labelled hard working and not lazy. That young man who is not often in the busy state but devote much of his time in mastering some musical skills and who does his work at the comfort of his home is seen as an unserious fellow and easily labelled a lazy man simply because he is not moving about. The fear of being labelled as antisocial, geek , lazy has made many sacrifice their dreams and take up disempowering habits. Society inwardly admires the man who exercise courage and stand on his conviction and not on popular opinions or dominant belief that limits his capacity.

We spend our years trying to avoid labels. We keep following the dictates of the majority despising that voice within us. Society keep replicating themselves in us. Many have lost their personality as a result of fear of expressing their true selves. Many have become replicates. To stand alone you must fight alone. Fight to restore your personality, fight to restore the real you. Stand on your conviction, on your belief and not on popular opinions or beliefs and that is when your soul will find true happiness and peace of mind.

Thanks for reading this article. I dedicate this article to the Almighty God who is the source of inspiration and knowledge.

Written by : Uwagboe Anthonia Peace.