While modern humans often admit there is no original thought which hasn't been previously formulated by another person, I tend to think each of our perspectives are unique. In further conversation on this topic with Cog, his reply was "perhaps, but how different are those perspectives from one another?"
I contend if each person is living life while narrating the meaning of all experiences and sensory input according to their own understanding and emotional makeup, then no two lives can really be the same no matter how similar the programming.
No where is individuality more evident than in a power hungry nanny state seeking to strip creativity and critical thinking from it's population in order to bring everyone into a manageable group-think. For a fascinating perspective on the endurance of the individual perspective, please read: The Last Individual In Europe - a short story.
It's so easy to become swept up in our normalcy bias. Navigating our often complicated paths in life, we are often quite serious about our nonsensical ways.
For a light-hearted look at how bizarre our world is, please enjoy another insightful work from David Cain: Don’t Forget How Strange This All Is.
We are our own worst enemy. Those six simple words neatly summarize all that is wrong with the world today.
Our preference is to believe we are all independent entities who control our own destiny. While this is certainly a flattering delusion, the realty is we are walking talking automatons perfectly programmed and perpetually manipulated. We continuously sweat the small stuff (family, work, home and play) while conceding near total control of our 'selves' to external programming.
I suspect part of the problem is a failure of our imagination. How can we know anything other than what we (think) we know? Part of the solution is to break from our numbing routines and stretch well beyond our comfort zone. To do so we must be willing to see our 'self' in a totally unflattering light, to clearly perceive that which we shield ourselves from.
