Being special

[Fleur de Frost]

(Firstly, if this question is in any way offensive, please let me know. None of this is an attempt at downplaying anyone and, if it does, it's purely ignorance-based on my part. Apologizing in advance!)

Has anyone seen The Incredibles? Rewatching it, there's one scene in particular that caught my attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYmHYQPaHaw

"With everyone super, no one will be."

We as a society seem to place a lot of emphasis on being 'special'. Movies and books and games galore always have that one individual, the chosen one, who's able to push humanity towards it intended state of greatness.

My question is how all of this applies to us. Are some of us born destined for spiritual greatness? In the video clip, Syndrome (villain) thinks superheroes have some special power. He mentions his resentment for not having innate abilities like Mr. Incredible and, for that reason, never believed he could be a superhero.

Mr. Incredible was born with those powers - Syndrome was not. If we transferred this situation outside of fiction, what would that imply? That the universe intended for Mr. Incredible to be a superhero and not Syndrome?

I've personally heard two different stances on being 'special'. (And this is just what I've heard, so please correct me if there are more!) Some believe that we have those chosen people in society. Some are still asleep, some are very much awake. And the ones who have woken up in this lifetime did so for a reason. They came here with a higher mission, whatever that might suggest.

Then, there are those who believe everyone is special. And I'm sure you could get into complex discussions of what 'special' truly means - another point. But that aside, Syndrome sounds right. If everyone came here all at once with a special purpose, how can any of it actually be special? How can we have the dreamers if we don't have the slackers? How can someone be awake if there's no such thing as being asleep?

Ultimately...
How do you define someone with a special or higher spiritual purpose? Does that even exist? And from that definition, do you personally believe that every soul or just a few are born special?

We are all special in different ways.

I don't believe anyone has special spiritual powers except to themselves.
These powers (in the literal sense - having the wherewithal to control resources) always relate to a given situation.

Just my view.

Now, if you were talking of magical powers, some have them more than others and they can be cultivated.
The may be specialised but they don't make the magician special except to their followers.

In fact, thinking about it, it's probably followers/fans that make someone appear to be special.

...

[Mr Interesting]

Tautology (rhetoric), a self-reinforcing pretense of significant truth.

I came across this word earlier, tautology, then wondering how to put together an answer to this question of 'special' this then wanted a meaning... and seems completely apt.

Why? Well then, that's for me to discover but given spirit has gifted this particular perspective from which I might look at it then the clue, surely, is within this.

Seems like the way of positioning might possibly come from our ingrained belief systems set up by Christianity and the above of abovenesses God and within the secularisation of society we still seek to create those Gods which may have little to do with the concept of God given gifts, a little is there, but mostly it seems it is the individuals making the most of a singular interpretation of a gift and riding it for all it's worth in terms of payback and accreditation within the public worship mill.

I know many gifted people and with them getting the public behind them is the least of their worries and what seems uppermost is simply creating an environment that allows those gifts to be gifted and has little to do with public accreditation.

So there is on one hand the public's need to create Gods to worship, with a side order of denying ones own specialness, and this creates the vacuum into which the slightly less vacuous seemed to take position, the actual tautology of specialness and then on the other hand there is what might be defined as the quiet revolution wherein those who have gifts just get on with the job of doing and discovering the reality of gifting which in itself is very interesting as many of these people are so gifted as to be invisible which is to say that only the mildly gifted can even see how gifted they are.

[rideforever]

Originally Posted by Fleur de Frost

How do you define someone with a special or higher spiritual purpose?

Look, the TV just wants you to watch it because it makes money from viewing figures and the advertising pays the TV companies based on how many eyes are watching.

The TV is not telling the truth, knows f*all about spirituality, and frankly could not care 2 ****s whether you are alive or dead.

So stop believing the TV !

You can only be yourself in any case, so there is not point trying to pretend to be anyone else.

Be yourself, trust yourself ... before you trust anyone else.

And stop waiting for people to "like" you.

People will "like" you and 5 minutes later they will hate you.

Get used to it, this is how things are on Earth.

If you have 1 good friend, you are lucky. And you will not know until you get into trouble and you see everyone disappear. Anyone who is left is your friend.

[skygazer]

The ones telling stories in movies and books have to create strong characters to sell their product. Fantasy is a big part of that, of course. Everyone loves a hero. But special is just another adjective, sometimes we’re all special, or annoying, brave….

Special is in the eye of the beholder; the one with an agenda will proclaim you are special but he will always want something from you. Sometimes they don’t even tell you, such as the man who died on the cross believing he was Jesus. They needed a patsy and he fit the bill. He had a special mission in the eyes of those in charge and yet most don’t even know his name.

Then there are the one with the raging ego and the delusional…

Syndrome makes a good point; we live in a duality realm. Everyone’s purpose is personal to them and yet the same as everyone else, hence, they are here in 3D land. We all have to learn how to navigate it in physical bodies.

Originally Posted by Fleur de Frost

"With everyone super, no one will be."

We as a society seem to place a lot of emphasis on being 'special'. Movies and books and games galore always have that one individual, the chosen one, who's able to push humanity towards it intended state of greatness.

My question is how all of this applies to us. Are some of us born destined for spiritual greatness? In the video clip, Syndrome (villain) thinks superheroes have some special power. He mentions his resentment for not having innate abilities like Mr. Incredible and, for that reason, never believed he could be a superhero.

Not sure if this can be applied to spirituality. There are those with a gift to inspire followers spiritually. Some have things genuine to impart, others are great charlatans.

But people can be born with "gifts" which may remain latent for a while but soon emerge and can be nurtured - but again they're all relative to the situation the people are in. They cultivate huge followings in their fields:

Beethoven, Jesus, Mozart, Shakespeare, Ruebens, Buddha, Michelangelo, Julius Caesar, Hitler, Michael Jackson, Alexander Fleming, George Soros, Louis Pasteur....

But just as Beethoven would be ordinary in the realm of atomic science or Michael Jackson in medicine, there are no doubt many unable to exert their particular strengths in the situation in which they grow up.

But for a few, very few, they're allowed to focus their spirituality on the gift they appear to have been born with.

....

Originally Posted by Fleur de Frost

If everyone came here all at once with a special purpose, how can any of it actually be special? How can we have the dreamers if we don't have the slackers? How can someone be awake if there's no such thing as being asleep?

Ultimately...
How do you define someone with a special or higher spiritual purpose? Does that even exist? And from that definition, do you personally believe that every soul or just a few are born special?

You humans have a curious way of thinking about things. You came from Spirit with all that it is, you ended up here with all that it is. You're creating and making the Universe bigger, better and expanding collective consciousness. How more special do you want to be, is there a higher purpose than that? Not enough for you? At least one of your fellow Spirits decided to have this experience for their development and you came along to make sure that happened, knowing full well it wasn't going to be sunshine and roses. You did that out of Unconditional Love. You're multi-dimensional for crying out loud. Excuse me while I bang my head against a brick wall.

[Pelin]

Originally Posted by celest

We are all special in different ways.

Exactly. There are no ordinary lives, there are only extraordinary lives. There are only people who take ordinary views, stifling the greatness that every soul has.
And one beautiful song - Ordinary lives by Bee Gees is hiding that paradox ordinary - extraordinary, I think. :)

Originally Posted by Fleur de Frost

Ultimately...
How do you define someone with a special or higher spiritual purpose? Does that even exist? And from that definition, do you personally believe that every soul or just a few are born special?

Maybe like the decayed Sri Chinmoy? He had some spiritual abilities, to lift heavy weights, and astral projection. Maybe it is, but I would'n call that so special. For me, the strength of a soul is measured by its ability to suffer. - Michael Scott Peck.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Fleur de Frost

(Firstly, if this question is in any way offensive, please let me know. None of this is an attempt at downplaying anyone and, if it does, it's purely ignorance-based on my part. Apologizing in advance!)

Has anyone seen The Incredibles? Rewatching it, there's one scene in particular that caught my attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYmHYQPaHaw

"With everyone super, no one will be."

We as a society seem to place a lot of emphasis on being 'special'. Movies and books and games galore always have that one individual, the chosen one, who's able to push humanity towards it intended state of greatness.

My question is how all of this applies to us. Are some of us born destined for spiritual greatness? In the video clip, Syndrome (villain) thinks superheroes have some special power. He mentions his resentment for not having innate abilities like Mr. Incredible and, for that reason, never believed he could be a superhero.

Mr. Incredible was born with those powers - Syndrome was not. If we transferred this situation outside of fiction, what would that imply? That the universe intended for Mr. Incredible to be a superhero and not Syndrome?

I've personally heard two different stances on being 'special'. (And this is just what I've heard, so please correct me if there are more!) Some believe that we have those chosen people in society. Some are still asleep, some are very much awake. And the ones who have woken up in this lifetime did so for a reason. They came here with a higher mission, whatever that might suggest.

Then, there are those who believe everyone is special. And I'm sure you could get into complex discussions of what 'special' truly means - another point. But that aside, Syndrome sounds right. If everyone came here all at once with a special purpose, how can any of it actually be special? How can we have the dreamers if we don't have the slackers? How can someone be awake if there's no such thing as being asleep?

Ultimately...
How do you define someone with a special or higher spiritual purpose? Does that even exist? And from that definition, do you personally believe that every soul or just a few are born special?

The purpose of life maybe life itself. So the value in all life, could be viewed as each one as a special and unique piece of the whole of creation. We are all in this together and taking the view that all life serves each of us, then how can I not see you or another as a special and crucial piece in my greater world, that is in my view a part of me, in every reflection it offers. Without you or another my experience of life would not open the potential I can truly be within. So for me opening to *special* can be a crucial aspect in *feeling* to let go and to open deeper to my own full nature. This then allows all life to be reflected in that special in my own interactions and engagement where I am and choose to share myself.

I suppose special in my own personal view of feeling, is very much related to self worth.