Michael Jackson is regarded as one of, if not the greatest musician of all time. When he died, about 12 fans committed suicide because of the pain. He is an inpiration to many.
He embodies greatness that many people will never become, but it’s still a good dream to have. He also had a lot of surgery many people would not wish on their worst enemy.
In the world today, many people want to be good examples to others, because there are bad examples to reference. So, in essence, without underachieved children of their neighbours, the average parent won’t care if their child is best in class.
The big question is…
Why do we choose to be “ideal”, when most progress in humanity is born out of uniqueness? Unique thinking, unique approach, unique execution.
You want to do what feels unique to you, and live the experience of pain or inability, in others.
The good side: An example is an oyinbo man in corporate suit dancing to Asake’s song. The expected stereotype would be him dancing to the latest Ed Sheeran song. But, do you know such a man might imagine what it feels like to be a Nigerian and tries to live that experience by listening to Nigerian songs?
The bad side: Another example would be an Oyinbo trying to fund a foundation, to help poor kids in Africa. You could imagine such person not ever wanting to live such life.
This explains why you should be grateful something exist, because it serves a purpose. If someone stays true to their craft or feelings, you are able to learn from their experience, and know if you should do the same or not. If there are no unique actors, the world would be filled with underachievers.
We tend to always want to do what the society wants, because it’s the safe thing to do. Being unique takes gut, and understanding the duality of purpose. You’re a good guy to many, bad guy to some.
This is also why religions have tried to enforce rules on a random world. Now, has that been effective?
When people are left to express their identity, there’s a lot of data to process. Your “What ifs” could be answered in others.
Summary: You’re an inspiration to someone and you’re someone someone would never want to be.