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Being
different is good!
We were dining with a friend’s family of four, our friend and wife and their teenage sons. The elder boy, aged 18 and taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) this year asked what he should do in a discussion if he did not agree with his friends. He said that he usually held his silence because he dared not be different. He tried to blend in with his peers but was not happy doing so. He wanted to air his view and have it debated but he lacked the courage to face accusations of being difficult or even taken as a weirdo!
It is truly not easy to be different because society frowns on individuality and quickly labels anyone who isn't like everyone else. This has discouraged a lot of people from being themselves. We love to belong and so end up understanding little beyond our own flock.
Here is one celebrity we can learn from – Angelina Jolie! She dares to be different. She had just had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in a preventative measure against ovarian cancer. Only two years ago, she had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.
Here is Angelina Jolie’s acceptance speech at the Kid's Choice Awards on March 28 2015. She won the best villain award for her role in Maleficent.
Different is good!
So don’t fit in!
Don’t sit still!
Don’t ever try to be less
than what you are!
And when someone tells you
that you are different,
smile and hold your head up
high and be proud
