Why I Stand Out in a Crowd
I wrote this article in answer to a HubPages question: What makes me stand out in a crowd?
Well...
Q. Why is the farmer exceptional?
A. The farmer is always out standing in his field.
Do I stand out in a crowd? I guess, sometimes. When I’m wearing my spandex cycling shorts with a colorful jersey in the city on a weekday I probably stand out.
Many people have told me they know someone who looks exactly like me, so my usual appearance would generally cause me to blend in rather than stand out. Yet I find I am often noticed in public. Why? I’m not sure.
It could be because I look people in the eye and smile at them. Not everyone, but the person from whom I get my coffee or the person who I open the door for, or let go ahead of me. To me this is only being polite, and these kinds of actions were common practice in the small town where I grew up, yet here in the city, most people seem to try to ignore each other most of the time in public.
True, it is sometimes nice to retreat into my own little world in my head. But in my head there are only two kinds of thoughts: memories of the past and fantasies about the future. The world is happening here, now. I would hate to miss something. Something that never happened exactly the same way before is always happening right now. It’s exciting.
I think that if I stand out it is because I smile and I am open to other people. Most of the people I see are not smiling and closed to other people.
Otherwise, you know, I’m just a guy.
Really I don’t like crowds that much. I’ll take your individuals, but your crowds you can keep. So if you see a crowd associated with me, I’ll probably be standing out from it. That may not be the same as standing out in it, but it’ll do for me.
I guess what I am trying to say is, what does 'standing out in a crowd' mean, really? Is it just being exceptionally tall or short, attractive or unattractive, fat or thin, educated or ignorant, or radiant or repellent? If so, why would any of that be important?
What is important in this existence is to accept and love yourself so that you can love others. Believe me, if you can do that, you'll stand out - in a good way, too.
