What makes people extraordinary?

Question

It's for my Philosophy course.

Quite hard when you think about it!

Talents are all I can come up with!

Answer 1

The divine in us. There are no special people. We are as we were created..perfect. It's our perception that is skewed.

Answer 2

I think extraordinary kindness makes people stand out. Additionally, strength (think of the Olympians) Intelligence, and of course as you suggested talents.  

Answer 3

When you are answering a philosophical question, you must not just look at something at face value. For instance, in your question what does the asker mean by the term 'extraordinary'? Is anyone 'ordinary'? Who is the arbiter or ordinariness? You say talent is a criterion. But why are some talents more valued than others? Why should a child of 6 playing the violin as well as a man of 25 be extraordinary, while the latter isn't?  Etc. So before one can answer the question, one has to clarify what one is asking. This may sound like linguistic analysis but it isn't. I'm sure you can write reams of pages if you look at the subject closely.

Answer 4

Love...Love...Love

Answer 5

True and pure love of Humanity

Selflessness leads to greatness  

Answer 6

It could be a combination of talents, patience, wisdom, purpose, inspiration, attitude etc..

The one who stays mentally alert and physically capable a few extra minutes or hours or days than another person in my opinion is extra ordinary. Thinking about some of the great , scientist, warriers, spritual leaders and even todays sportsman that few secounds makes the difference.

These extraordinary people stand by in what they beleive (whether that beleive is for the good of others is a subject of another topic).Doing this once makes him a hero, doing it several times makes him  a leader and for serveral years a legend. I remember the saying compete only with onself and you can go beyond where there was no barriers.

One example that comes to mind, is Gandhiji who requested the people to stop the protest and freedom struggle when it was in full swing because there was violance. He beleived in non violance and he stood by it till the end. It was an extraordinary move considering the circumstances and the party had to wait for serveral years to get back the same people movement. Gandhi himself had to be in Jail during those years.

Same goes for christ, who asked God for the forgiveness to those who were tormenting him even at the last breath if he had given up because of pain and suffering he would have not been a great man. And Gotama the buddha spent 45 years teaching nonstop the art of living and only rested 3 or 4 hours in the night. He travelled by foot only teaching and living a frugile life, the depth of the knowldge he had is only now been discovered by meta physics scientist. Its very extra ordinary for a prince to live a simple life. Even in his death bed at the ripe age of 80 he asked the people if any one has doubt about the meditation technique. This selfless service and standing by to the belief system till the last drop is what makes one extra ordinary I think.

Answer 7

Caring, trustworthy people are what makes them extraordinary. So many people ordinary people care and do so much for other people it takes my breathe away! It's the love that they give freely.  

Answer 8

Those who do extraordinary things.

Those who have extraordinary physical & mental qualities.

Answer 9

What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.

There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth...lust. When he is strong...quarrelsomeness. When he is old...covetousness.

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.

The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow.

Confucius

Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)

Answer 10

We educate ourselves and we are inquisitive ,other life forms just exist.

Answer 11

having the natural ability to do something to a higher standard but can also refer to being completely selfless or  having similar qualities to that as they are rare

Answer 12

All people think that they are extraordinary, that if matters were left in their hands, all would be fine with the world, and this shows in their behaviour, the air of importance and distinction which they put up. Once in a while you come across some one who is quite ordinary, no pretensions, no airs and graces, no double talk - he is the extraordinary one.

Answer 13

Each and every person you meet is a potential infinite.  If you examine your own consciousness and assume that people are as complex, intricate, and interesting as you are, it is not difficult to answer this question.  I have known my wife for 20 years and I know that she is as endlessly interesting as she ever was.  I learn from her every day and discover new things about her every day.  She is a regular person and if I gave every person the same attention (within limits) I would find each one to be unique and valuable.  Being conscious is an amazing thing!  

Answer 14

Extraordinary people are risk takers.  They are willing to do things other people are not.  Whether it's good or bad.  They will run into burning buildings to save people, jump on grenades, sing in public, stop for a stranded motorist, dance on stage, be the hero, etc.  Or they may be willing to break the laws of society.  Rob a bank, kill their family, commit mass murder, whatever.  In all those cases they are willing to take more risks than other people.  It doesn't necessarily mean that they have more ability to do the things than everyone else, just that they are willing to try and risk failure.

Answer 15

Those people who are extraordinary stand up to the Political Machine who vote to go to war, who would destroy the environment for greed and short term gain.  Who stand in front of bull-dozers to stop ancient woods being destroyed by rich developers who care only for more goods to be sold.and those same developers without thought want housing estates to be built on childrend's playgrounds and open green spaces.   So many kind people who raise money for just causes and support the weak and vulnerable.  They are the extraordinary ones.

Irene

Answer 16

There is no power in the world, aside the power of and will of Almighty God, to make people extraordinary, but the extraordinary circumstances that befall some people, and on that, the ability and tenacity of such people, to accept their circumstance and live though them.

This is possible for a certain people to be extraordinarily born, to have physical handicaps but the patience and the courage to take up life as it is, to be talented or privileged and willing to make the best of the all they have - our abilities, special talents and privileges all I think add up to the making our circumstances.

I have come to the conclusion now that what makes people extraordinary amidst all that might otherwise be depressingly mundane, banal and ordinary, is their essential quality to see that there is reason for them to be at the top of their life, to be the best that they can be most of the time, under all conditions or situations of their circumstance.

I have not seen success without sweat, all made of inspirations. I have never seen a person extraordinary who has not contended with fierce oppositions, come across insurmountable hurdles in life and overcome despair. Extraordinariness is the conquest of hope against a diversity of many reasons, including adversity.

Answer 17

How about eccentricity? - Don't laugh.

Anything outside the ordinary is 'extraordinary'.

How many of our great advances are made by individuals with

the courage to think differently from their peers.

Answer 18

Talent is a good one! i think you can work well from their i.e celebrities and such, have you thought about it in a negative light? i.e mass murderers and such? either way they differentiate from the norm... and the norm is everyone .ie. average

its such a strange word...we think of ordinary as boring but extra-ordinary is good somehow? how bizarre!

good luck with the course :)

Answer 19

Statistics. Just about everything is distributed with a bell-shaped curve, including the characteristics of people. Most of us are pretty average, but a few people are in the tails of the distribution, and they are the extraordinary (= not at all ordinary) ones, for better or worse.

This holds for sports ability, musicality, intelligence, creativity, just about anything you can think of that can be measured in some way.

Answer 20

Just when I think i have seen everything a human being can do.....I see something that shows me I have not.