The Black Sheep

Society explicitly tells us that we are not ordinary if we step out of line. We are cast out like mist in the wind and swept away like the dust supposedly sitting idle while compiling more of itself in the corner of a room. This is the life of the black sheep before they are revered as the chosen ones. This term exemplifies a rarity within a species that stands out for its discoloration in wool. Much like humans, we stand out because of our unique interior personalities that complement our maybe rough and ragged exterior image.

The very existence of a black sheep is shamed and frowned upon for our individualistic mindset, perceived as a connotatively selfish attribute. They are distinguished as odd phenomena that cannot coexist with the natural order. It stands to reason that they are incompatible and incoherent with the truth that reality seeks to settle into their minds. These individuals know of their supposed iniquities or become aware of them as they travel through life, exposed to the status quo they are not accustomed to living.

They are pressured to adopt a herd mentality that will benefit them with a comfortable life if they do as they are told, eliminating the factor of risk and an opportunity to stand apart from it all. It does not encompass relevance to one's desire for fullness in freedom, as it entraps their frame of mind into believing that anything outside of the box is a mere fantasy.

This label can be given to anyone who does not fit the average description, whether on the upper or lower side of the social, financial, and physical scale. An overachiever can stand above it all, while those who choose not to follow the path of normalcy and fall to their circumstances are those who stand below it all. They neither follow society's requests, hence their unique situation and appealing journey to conceptualize their version of the truth.

Your overthinking and anxious desires are considered rebellious and overshadowed by concerns about your sanity. The eminent suffrage you face, yearning to fit in, feels like a detriment to your life, but you have no solid action to combat this feeling. Life feels hard, and you don't know if everything will be okay. Your urges for escaping this reality are becoming more and more present. Those unpleasant thoughts of disdain haunt your every waking moment.

So, what is it that leads us astray from the rest? Were we born with some disease that everyone else wants to distance themselves away from as if it could be contracted? Not at all. Instead, it is all circumstantial and can be traced back to our decisions. Do we choose to be resilient among our pitfalls and derive motivation for change? Are there thoughts of prominence within your sphere of influence? Do you truly seek freedom from the reality that you are surrounded by?

Your situation in life is determined by the decisions you choose to make, thus making the feelings of abandonment and loneliness self-inflicted. Those with great ideas, a terrifying sense of drive, an unwavering mental fortitude, or a lack of these set us apart from the average. The societal norms that depict our position in the social hierarchy confine us within a prison that has been artificially but meticulously constructed to fool us into being complacent with the only reality we are trained to be exposed to.

It is up to you to decide what side of reality you wish to inhabit and deal with the social, financial, and physical consequences that come with it. There is no guarantee that you will be correct on this path, but you will discover something about yourself: whether you genuinely stand apart from the herd.

Mithun Sudarshan is a young author who strives to promote moral teachings in his works. His 'Diaries of Darkness' series has garnered attraction from his first released volume, 'The Hidden Graveyard.' Mithun aspires to leave a legacy behind within his writings