How to be different?

Question

I here a lot of people telling/advising young kids like me to try to be different. But I don't get it. If these adults want us to become different from everyone else why do they encourage us to study and learn the same things? Ex: why do we ALL have to learn math if we ALL should be different? (Math is just an example, it could be science etc....)

Thank you!

Answer 1

Different, schmifferent.  Same, schmame.

Be who you were created to be.  If you love Engineering, and all your parents, friends, and relatives are engineers, don't become a hair stylist (or anything else) just for the sake of being different.

On the other hand, if all your friends and family are horse trainers, and you love engineering, become an engineer.  Don't go trying to be the same if it doesn't suit you.

Be yourself, and don't worry about same or different.

Answer 2

You are a unique individual and no one else will travel an identical path through life.  When you read a book you bring to it your sum of experience and take away something different than any two other people.  If the book mentions a motor cycle your appreciation of what is written will be colored by your experience (or lack of experience) with motor cycles, etc.  You can't help be different from everyone else who has studied math (etc.) including what you choose to do with it.  Education has been defined as whatever is left after you forget every word spoken in class.  Learn as much as you can so that when opportunities arise you can consider acting on them where others who are less prepared must pass them up.

Answer 3

Don't be different per se, or against the mainstream just for the sake of argument.  Different is bad.  Be unique by accelerating above the status quo.  Distinguish yourself and ideas from your peers.  We all have (or should have) to learn math because it is the foundation of every governing principle and decision in the universe.  Being different means being innovative.  There are tons of mediocre scientists, but very few Newton’s, Wilcox’s, Bohr’s, etc.  They are the "different" ones who stand out amongst a crowd.

Answer 4

Knowledge is your inheritance. It is the only thing that separates us from cavemen that have to hunt for dinner with sticks. Schools teach you things that took humans tens of thousands of years to learn. They require that you master a number of subjects at a relatively basic level, to help you understand much of what society does. By having a solid basic education in broad areas, kids have sufficient basis to be able to study whatever they wish once they are ready to go to college. I know this answer sucks, but it's for your own good!

And don't worry, going through basic education will not make everyone the same.