The Importance of Being Diefrefnt

There seems to be a small catch to the "Theory-of-recognising-words-by-their-heads-&-tails"; if there are too many vowels in a word, it can get hard to dicipher. Suddenly "different" looks deliciously French.

Different is a word with 2 pairs of repeated letters. It is feeling miserable because Mississippi has 3 sets of repetitives, which is itself the proud owner of 3 sets. So does siblings Jelled & Gelled. & it only has 3 syllabus, out of which 2 audibles. SUPER­CALI­FRAGI­LISTIC­EXPI­ALI­DOCIOUS zooms past like a freight train, while ACETYL­SERYL­TYROSYL­SERYL­ISO­LEUCYL­THREONYL­SERYL­PROLYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­VALYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­SERYL­SERYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­VALYL­CYSTEINYL­THREONYL­SERYL­SERYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMINYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ALANYL­ARGINYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­SERYL­GLUTAMINYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­LYSYL­PROLYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­GLYCYL­ASPARTYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­LYSYL­VALYL­TYROSYL­ARGINYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­ALANYL­VALYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­PROLYL­LEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­LEUCYL­LEUCYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­ASPARTYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ASPARAGINYL­ARGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ISOLEUCYL­GLUTAMYL­VALYL­GLUTAMYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­GLUTAMINYL­SERYL­PROLYL­THREONYL­THREONYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­THREONYL­LEUCYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­ARGINYL­ARGINYL­VALYL­ASPARTYL­ASPARTYL­ALANYL­THREONYL­VALYL­ALANYL­ISOLEUCYL­ARGINYL­SERYL­ALANYL­ASPARAGINYL­ISOLEUCYL­ASPARAGINYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­ARGINYL­GLYCYL­THREONYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­TYROSYL­ASPARAGINYL­GLUTAMINYL­ASPARAGINYL­THREONYL­PHENYL­ALANYL­GLUTAMYL­SERYL­METHIONYL­SERYL­GLYCYL­LEUCYL­VALYL­TRYPTOPHYL­THREONYL­SERYL­ALANYL­PROLYL­ALANYL­SERINE takes off with a deafening roar of a rocket take-off. (For the record, that is 1,185 letters, & means Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Dahlemense Strain.)

So don't be sad the next time you find yourself trying to be different, but think you're not. He isn't very much different too.

What differentiates us is nothing different, but something unique. Find me another word with 2 U's. What we need is not to merely do something different. If there are a thousand different paintings, you can never stand out from all of them. You are only better than the one directly beneath you & trying to catch up with the right on top of you. But being unique brings out the common ground for all other identities & puts you on the opposite shore of them. It means to choose a quality of measure that makes you the odd one out, the sieve that only fits you. There may be a thousand different paintings, but you are the only one working with a star-shaped canvas. Or you could be the only one without a frame, & your painting extends to its surroundings.

Establishing an identity is more than being different, it means being unique. Uniquely different.