Let Us make man in Our image…, by Ioana Cioceanu
…after Our likeness, said God. Our appearance was created after God’s and he made us equal with each other. We are copies in our essence and we all have the same rights. This fact has remained engraved in our subconscious and has suffered serious alteration over time. Indeed, the instinct of being equal to others comes from the origins of humankind, but it has evolved into the sense of having what others have and into the predisposition to imitate others. Along with Lucifer appeared the ‘only me’ phenomenon which basically means that ‘I have the right to be like you and even more, but you are forbidden to be like me’. This concept engendered nonconformism ? or unconventionality ?, anarchy, eccentricity and materially uniqueness. All these related terms are notably different in meaning.
Nonconformists want to be special by breaking simple patterns, the so-called ‘unwritten rules’: they would drink soup with a straw. Anarchists break laws even if they risk to be punished, such as smoking in places where it is banned. Eccentric people are ridiculous or weird in order to shock: they would wear a red shoe with a black sock in the right foot and a black shoe with a red sock in the left foot. In all these cases people are original ? on a different scale ? until someone does the same thing. Obviously, nonconformist acts are more likely to be copied rather than anarchic and eccentric ones, because the last two also involve insanity apart from originality.
Unique is something which is the only thing of that type in the Universe. Each person’s DNA and personality are unique. Even so, it is not enough for us to be genetically and spiritually unique because we also want to be materially unique. Seriously speaking, this is absolutely impossible in a world where one of the basic principles of economy is the series production. A company produces one million identical products and of course, one million people will have each of them. We must become accustomed to the idea that we will always find people who have the same objects as we have. Only billionaires have the possibility to be materially unique because they can spend immense amounts of money in order to create their own personalized brands of clothing and electronics.
In conclusion, the tendency to be like others is instinctual and the desire to be ‘the one and only’ is unobtainable. Personally, I do not find anything unethical in breaking a pattern or in inspiring from someone else as long as it is not against the law. We must search for our muse in each and every person, in the entire world around us. This pattern of not breaking other patterns, of being completely original, was established by God when He created a new and unique world. However, He was the first to break it by copying Himself through humankind… So, why would we not do the same?
Acest eseu este castigatorul premiului oferit din partea juriului in cadrul 2012 Shakespeare School Essay Competition, grupa de varsta 15-19 ani. Premiul a constat intr-un voucher de reducere in valoare de 200 de lire pentru o tabara de limba engleza de 2 saptamani in Anglia oferit de Mirunette International Education, carti
de la Fischer International si de la Carturesti si materiale promotionale de la Vitastal Consulting. O felicitam pe Ioana pentru eseul ei care s-a evidentiat din mii de eseuri trimise la concursul national de creatie in limba engleza organizat de Shakespeare School si ii uram mult succes in continuare!
