Am I special?

Self-Understanding An early professional believed that alcoholics got into trouble because they thought they were “special”.   Thinking we’re special certainly creates all sorts of problems.

It’s true that every person is special in that no two people are exactly alike.   But we’re also part of the human race, and we are bound to the general limitations that apply to everyone.  We got into trouble partly because we thought we were special and could break universal commonsense rules.

When we stop thinking of ourselves as special,  we also become more teachable.  We learn more from the experiences of others.     Then we realize that we’re both special and generic,  and we use this knowledge for self-improvement rather than self-destruction.

I remember today that I’m special in certain ways,  but that I’m part of the human race and subject to things that apply to everyone.