Hello!

***

Years back then before now, was years full of (un)direct confrontations, critics, and a lot of things that resemble one mutual thing: opposition. I still remember clearly how critics were thrown at me because I chose a different path that did not give any benefit and clearly brought disadvantages to everyone, except me.

You may consider me as a bad person, neglecting other people's businesses, feelings, and so on.

Hear the story first, then you may or may not reconsider.

It was high school days and just like a typical school, there was a Math homework. The instruction given to us was not clear and quite ambiguous. There were three parts of the questions. Knowing that the instruction is giving us uncertainties, most of the people in my class decided to only work on the first two parts of the question. 

I did something different and stayed silent until the submission day.

I worked on the third part, and put it on the stack of completed homework. One person noticed that mine had two pages while others only had one. There must be something different in my work. That person told me to, with not-so-friendly tone, erase all the third part's questions I've done, so that the teacher won't realize that the instruction could be interpreted as 'you should work on all parts' type of instruction, which could invite the teacher's negative response if the teacher see that most of my class do not work on the third part. 

My response?

I am, until today, still disappointed with myself.

Not because I didn't do the same thing like others, but because I gave in, decided to do something that everyone does, and the worst: settle for a so-so option when at the same time I could be something more than just it.

The feeling of me being unable to give more haunts me, and that happens quite often.

***

Should I tell you a story again? This time, you'll likely reconsider.

This time, the main actor is Physics homework. The instruction is simple: "Do these problems, write the solutions on test papers." 

I wrote the solutions on test papers, like how the instruction said. Before the submission deadline, there is one free day. Having nothing to do, I decided to do something different with my work.

Two papers of solutions was stapled together with the problem paper, all were done in the left side  of the papers. To beautify it a bit, I add black duct tape to hide the stapled part. In Indonesian, this act is called 'jilid staples', means that you brought documents together by stapling, and putting black duct tape to hid the staple mark if you like.

Turns out I was the only one adding the 'jilid staples' method to the paper. Weeks after the submission day, the paper I did was returned with a score. 

It was A++.

Since that day, I believe that going the extra mile might not be easy, but it is less crowded, and much more beneficial, and sometimes doing so will make you different from others.

***
Being different is not easy. And will never be.

Why?

Shortly, because being different could attract people's attention. Despite being good or bad attention, receiving people's attention due to our differences could bring you stress, or regret, or any other harmful things. The risks were never easy to be carried on.

People are not used to see something different, something new to their eyes, something unusual. It is most likely that this is because they never get to see through our perspective, the perspective of different people. 

If you find this post as a strange, self-centered, messed-up post, then this post must've reflected me very well. Leave me a comment if you're interested on giving a response to this weird post. Feel free to do so.

Love,

99WRITES