Seth Wilson English 10 Ms. Greenhalgh 3 January 2023 Everyone Can be an Outsider In today's society, we are constantly in situations that either make us outsiders to others or make us have to work with those who are different than us, being an outsider is a feeling that everyone experiences at some point throughout their life. People create groups and cliques to feel less alone when in reality it can create more loneliness and outsiders. Feeling different is a universal feeling because everyone has traits that make them unique from others. What is important to realize is being an outsider has been given a negative connotation when in reality, being an outsider has essential qualities to help form a healthier society. One example is people …show more content…
Every person has some sort of feature or trait that makes them unique from everyone else in the world. This in itself shows how everyone is an outsider because they will meet people who share vast differences with them and they will become an outsider to that person. A quote from Encountering the Other: The Challenge for the 21st Century shows a perspective that proves everyone is an outsider to each other. “Others are indeed Others, but for those Others, I am the one who is other. In this sense, we are all in the same boat. All of us inhabitants of our planet are Other for Others-Me for Them, and Them for Me.” (Kapuscinski 236). This quote shows us how no matter where one is standing or who they know, they are a stranger to someone which can make them an outsider depending on where they are. An environment can change whether one is an outsider or not. Some believe not everyone experiences being an outsider at some point throughout life. However, no matter who one is and what one goes through, at some point one will be different from those around one's self. No person is made the same and everyone experiences different life paths which leads to having parts of oneself that are different from others and being put in situations that make them an …show more content…
Within the debate of whether everyone experiences being an outsider or not it is often looked down upon to be an outsider. When in actuality people who have characteristics that separate them from others, make them special and more valuable for a healthy society. A section from Isn’t Everyone a Little Bit Weird discusses how Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Forefounders and a brilliant inventor was extraordinary and one many would consider an outsider. “’ The first American’ had certain ways about him you might consider odd. He once pranked a competing publisher by astronomically predicting when the man's life would end. He created his own alphabet dispensing the letters c,j,q,w,x, and y, and adding others he made up to stand in for common sounds. He is said to have favored ‘air baths’, often writing essays and letters while sitting in a cold room with nothing on.” (“Isn’t Everyone” 131) Ben Franklin is someone most consider a genius and look up to, yet he was very strange and abnormal in many ways. It is important to respect those who are different from one another and to understand that every person contributes positively to the world before judging or disrespecting them. Some may debate that being different from others hurts society and could make us less unified. However, in reality, differences