“Unique” is one of those words that is often overlooked and overused. If you think about it people use the word “unique” quite a lot–for both things you like and don’t like. For example, you can use it to describe the pattern on your new purse, saying “I like it because it’s unique, I’ve never seen anything like it before.” On the other hand, you might also use it when your friend walks out of a dressing room, wanting your opinion on her dress for spring formal, and then when you see it you realize it’s the most hideous thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life but she loves it. What do you say? “Well… it’s certainly… unique.” Of course, you weren’t lying, it is unique, you’ve never seen a dress quite that ugly before.
People use the word unique a lot, whether it’s describing something good or something bad, which causes the meaning of the word to be stifled. Everything is unique (unless, of course it’s made in China, then it’s more likely one-of-a-million instead of one-in-a-million), and that’s exactly why it doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
Don’t even get me started on the “Well, if everyone is unique, then doesn’t that mean that no one is unique in their uniqueness?” argument, I mean doesn’t that just give you a headache?
Well, anyway, the point is, I just took a personality test, which although not entirely accurate, is pretty accurate in saying that I’m a “Dreamy Idealist” (click to find out what the heck that means). Of course, no personality text can be completely accurate, because personality tests automatically assume that every person in the world can fit neatly in to 1 of, say, 7 categories, and that’s just not the truth. Life is messy, and so are people and their personalities.
According to iPersonic, here’s a basic description of my personality type:
Dreamy Idealists are very cautious and therefore often appear shy and reserved to others. They share their rich emotional life and their passionate convictions with very few people. But one would be very much mistaken to judge them to be cool and reserved. They have a pronounced inner system of values and clear, honourable principles for which they are willing to sacrifice a great deal.
For the most part, that description is pretty true, as well as the extended description, however, according to them I should be introverted, which isn’t exactly false, but it’s not true either. The line between introversion and extroversion isn’t clearly defined, it’s a little fuzzy, like pH balance. Even though you are closer to middle, you’re still either acidic or basic, introverted or extroverted, nearly nothing and no one is ever completely neutral.
I’ve taken a few Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (tests that determine personality type) and they have all said that I’m extroverted… but just barely. That being said, most people don’t actually understand what the difference is between introversion and extroversion, so let me explain. The main idea is where do you get your energy from
- Extroverted: if you’re extroverted, you likely have many friends and acquaintances and it’s very easy for you to make new ones, you get along with everyone. Why? Because you just don’t feel like yourself when you’re alone. You probably don’t mind being alone every now and then, but you feel like you have more energy when you’re with many people and you feel more drained when you’re alone.
- Introverted: if you’re introverted, you likely have a small, but close-knit group of friends and it’s not super easy for you to make new ones. Why? Because you feel more like yourself when you’re alone or with one or two trusted friends. Sure, you can hang out in a big group of people, but you likely don’t want to very often because it leaves you feeling tired and drained and possibly uncomfortable, so you need some quiet time to recharge.
Alright, well now that that’s out of the way, it’s very likely that neither of those categories describe you completely, although they might. Like, with me, I am much more happy when I’m with friends, but at the same time I need some time to just relax by myself to recharge. Also, I’m not good at jumping into large groups, but small groups I’m better at–especially if it’s something I need to do. So, if you were going to categorize me, I would just miss the mark of an introvert, but I’m slightly more on the extroverted side.
And this brings me back to the idea of uniqueness; we’re all human, but we aren’t all the same, and we can’t be simply be organized into neat little categories. We’re not so black and white, we’re all different colors of the rainbow; some of us might be similar, but none of us are the same–and that’s important for us all to remember.
Our uniqueness isn’t a bad thing, it’s a wonderful thing. If everyone were all the same, this world would be an incredibly boring place.
fearlesslyfeesh, blog 