Parentheses

Many people like to think that they are unique and that there is (or was) nobody like them anywhere (or at anytime).  The truth, however, is that people are a fairly homogeneous group, and that nobody is really extremely unique, or most likely, all that unique at all.

Every emotion you’ve ever experienced?  Most everybody else has experienced it as well.  The degree to which you’ve experienced it?  Again, most everybody has done the same.

“Ah,” you may say, “but these individual experiences I’ve had – nobody else has had them.”  To an extent, this is true, but we have all had such similar experiences that the only significant difference is whether Bob, Bill, Mary, Sue or John is experiencing it.  Now perhaps you are saying to yourself, that it is in the combination and sequence of these events that a unique individual can be formed.  I’m afraid, however, that once again you must abandon your notion of your individuality. Most everyone has had a very similar set of experiences as well.

Now, though, you probably think you’ve got the answer, how you’re going to prove  me wrong.  You say, “it’s my reaction to each of these events, my contribution to them that makes me truly unique.”  If you are feeling particularly pithy you may say something like “the sum is greater than its parts.”  And you would, in fact, have said something that sounds good, and would probably settle things in a movie.  I am sorry to disappoint you, but this simply isn’t the case either.

Now, all I’ve done so far is make statements, which in all honesty, is worthless all by itself, but I wanted to get your attention.  I don’t actually any data, but I’m not really sure if one could obtain data about this sort of thing.  However, there are glimpses one can obtain.

Language can provide one of these views.  Language is a societal construct which only functions inasmuch as people share similar experiences.  Words only have meaning in relation to other words within each system and are nothing more than meaningless symbols (auditory or visual) which are part of a huge web of meaning.   Certainly, one can acquire a travel-guide knowledge of a language without much work, but that hardly counts.

Culture and society, obviously, also provide more insight into the matter.  Things like wars will obviously push a generation in a certain direction.  In fact, the mere fact that one can talk about “a generation” shows the homogeneity in people.  Any distinct grouping of people is dependent upon similarity between people.  This is because groupings of people (or society) is formed (intentionally or otherwise) by people with similar experiences, and then commences to ensure that people continue to have similar experiences.  Thus, the only way one could even imagine completely unique individuals is if there was no (or at least not significant) contact between humans.  Now, besides leading to the extinction of the human race, this still would not cause truly unique individuals, because the configuration of our body, our senses and which ones we depend upon the most already force us into a certain mold.

Some people like to talk about how “each of us is unique, just like a snowflake.”  The funny thing about snowflakes, however, is that they all look  the same to the unaided eye.