Today, I was taken by surprise when I was accused of refusing to be exceptional at anything. I’ll admit, I was shocked, even speechless. At the time, I had no comeback, no retort, I couldn’t even bring myself to reply at all. So I just thought. I sat down and thought about what it meant, to refuse to be exceptional. I thought about what I have been doing, and what I plan to do, and many other things...
And I came up with an answer.
At first, it didn’t make sense, but the more I thought about it, the simpler it became. It all boiled down to economics (thank you, Mr. Peterson). I am good at many things. Singing, swimming, golfing, dancing, writing, math, science, you name it; I’m probably at least halfway decent. My issue is this. How do I choose to specialize. Where do I determine my absolute advantage.
And then I had a revelation. Sometimes, economics can’t explain everything (sorry, Mr. Peterson). Because when it comes to the things that I enjoy, there is no comparative advantage. I can’t let someone else dance for me, or swim for me, or write, or do my math for me. Those things can’t be traded away because they are part of my experience. I have to live for myself, in all areas, because a life isn’t something that can be broken down and traded around.
So, I suppose you’re looking for something more. Maybe you want deeper meaning than ‘live for yourself.’ I’m sorry. I don’t have it. I’ve run out of wisdom to dispense. It’s all I can do to keep my own life in line. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a sage after all.
Catch you on the flipside,
--Random
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