Different is not so different

Every day I hear and use management jargons like “competitive advantage”, “differentiating factor”, and “point of difference” etc. today every brand wants to be portrayed as different so as to be recognized, and boy that is a difficult task. I'm sure you must have heard all film stars saying their movie is “hat ke” (different), nothing different about that right?

Why limit this need to be distinguished to products and brands? We humans are just the same. Every other person portrays that he/she is different from the crowd. Well yes, no two people are just the same. The physical, mental and emotional build up of everyone is different. But one thing that is common in most (if not all) is the need to be uncommon.

I have a doubt though, do we really seek to be distinct? Or is it just that we want to be perceived as different? Like the same brand of soap claiming to be different when it is more or less the same as any other brand of soap. While I have seen people claiming to be “no I’m not like the rest”, “I don’t believe in what others say” and blah blah blah, still give them a second look and you will know that they are the same. Leaving me to wonder why?

Hey but I’m not saying that there is anything wrong in being no different. Why should I declare my differences, let others decipher it themselves. Also I believe that there is no use in proclaiming being “hat ke” because the perception they form about you is dependent upon their own understanding and personality.

Also everyone wants to find similar people. Even the ones who are considerably different from the crowd are continuously looking for their types. And trust me it is very satisfying to find someone who works on the same wavelength as you. Humans are social beings, so it is only natural to look for people of your kind. Even the solitude lovers would like to find another solitary reaper.

It is the innate need of humans to be understood and for that they want to express themselves. Sometimes these expressions are more pronounced while in other cases they are subtle. This need to find like minded people is common to all (the distinguished and the common). So what say the different is not so different after all?