What makes you weird makes you wonderful
Photo courtesy of Madison Inouye/Pexels
Have you ever felt that you do not fit in, or that others have not accepted you? It seems that even when you try to be as genuine to yourself as possible, those around you see you as an outlier, as an anomaly. You do not fear rejection, you are not particularly bothered by what people think about you, and most importantly, you are confident and kind to yourself. However, deep down inside, you know something is wrong, that you are different. Not in an awkward way—you love and crave social interactions, and you want to meet people, but still, something feels off. Connecting with others can feel like a chore at times, even when you try your best. Conversations with classmates and acquaintances start with energy and flow, but quickly become dull.
On top of that, your interests, lifestyle, personality, activities, hobbies, and goals are distinct from those of the people around you. In your mind you are an outsider; there is something about you that does not click with your classmates and students. Could it be the way you process and analyze information around you, or the way you convey your thoughts, ideas, and feelings to others? That is a possibility, among many others, of course, but one thing is for certain: there is something that sets you apart.
I know for a fact that I am not the only student who feels like this, who feels out of place. Instead of writing about events on campus, I would like to address any students who may be even remotely experiencing these feelings and, hopefully, instill some happiness and confidence. I am going to begin with my own thoughts and reflections, which I am sure some can relate to, and then continue and eventually finish with words of encouragement that I hope will facilitate self-acceptance and a more optimistic outlook on life.
This semester has marked my return to SUNY Geneseo following a long hiatus during which I uneasily accepted my true nature and learned to see the good in my uniqueness. While I know that my life, its trajectory, and my experiences will not be seen as “normal,” I have begun wearing this as a badge of honor with the knowledge that I will one day be a great storyteller and see my time on this planet as one big adventure. Growing up, I was weird, and I knew it, and so did my classmates and acquaintances. I was not particularly talkative, especially during conversations about sports, relationships, social media trends, and similarly themed topics that I found boring and surface-level. I would talk to myself while working, and I spent most of my time alone.
As mentioned before, I was not antisocial, but I often felt lonely when I was in a room full of people. Unfortunately, I was picked on for being the outlier, but I handled it swiftly. However, it did not fix the pain that I felt when I saw other people, normal people in my eyes, living a more social and linear life. I would at times go to bed with tears in my eyes, wondering what was wrong with me, and why I was this way. Was it because I was born overseas and was not fully acclimated to American culture? Was it because I was a nerd obsessed with aviation, outer space, foreign languages, and geography? Was it because my mind takes longer to process information? Or was it because I was so curious to understand and analyze every aspect of the world, including people around me? First off, the answer to all of those is yes, but I realized over time that my brain was wired to seek more than what is considered “normal,” and so is yours.
As I was thinking about what else I wanted to write about in this piece, my mind harkened back to my favorite Superman movie, Man of Steel. As you all know, Clark Kent was not “normal,” at least by our standards, he was an alien being raised in rural Kansas. As depicted in the film, Kent’s heightened senses and superpowers made him an outlier, someone who could not fit in, someone who was different, who was weird. Clark just wanted to be “normal”; his tears and frustration were relatable. He did not understand why he was so different. As time progressed, though, Clark began to understand himself and accept his uniqueness. By the time General Zod arrived to destroy Earth, Clark’s heightened senses and superpowers enabled him to defeat Zod and save the planet. What made Superman “weird” in Kansas made him wonderful in the eyes of the world. He did not belong in Smallville; he was destined for so much more, and so are you.
While the chances of General Zod attacking our planet are slim, just like Superman, we can, over time, learn to embrace what makes us weird and use our “superpowers” in the fullest capacity when our fate demands it. Perhaps those superpowers are the things you have been really good at for almost your whole life, but you never got the chance to utilize them to the maximum extent. At this moment in your journey, you are likely feeling stuck, and just like Superman, you’re not meant to stay stuck; fate will not keep you in a place where you are misunderstood and seen as an outlier. Your destiny is to fly and to master your superpowers so that they can be used elsewhere because you are wired to seek more and to do more.
We are all on different journeys, but yours is special and unique. In life, we can either step forward into growth or back into safety, and I hope to see you all grow. What makes you weird can indeed make you wonderful.