I don’t know about you, but because of my experience growing up with Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, superheroes and other cartoons, I got the overwhelming message that I was special. I was told that I could do anything I wanted if I put my mind to it and worked hard enough. I don’t think I am the only one with that message imprinted on my psyche.

Consequently, we now have an adult generation (my generation) of people who are to some degree dealing with disappointment and depression because they have realized the truth; we each have limitations and as someone once said: “we are special, just like everyone else.” I think this is evidenced in our culture with the obsession with fame and the eventual disillusionment of what I call “American Idol Syndrome” (the individuals who audition and are convinced they are a rock star yet have no possibility of fulfilling that dream).

I am not against dreams but maybe we have to temper them with a dose of reality at times. I love music but I know that although I at times dream of being a rock star, it is more a fantasy than a dream because it exceeds my capabilities. God didn’t give me the gift of an amazing voice and no matter how hard I try, I won’t be a rock star or anything close to it.

I also know that I am very normal and therefore my question evolves: “What is wrong with normal?” Why is normal seen as appalling? I think, for the most part anyway, this is a problem plaguing our postindustrial materially wealthy culture where “special” is, to some limited degree, possible for the average person. It is possible for a select few to be a superstar, for the son of a carpenter to become a rock star or for the daughter of plumber to be an actress. In view of history, this is a fairly new development in the sociological history of humankind. A hundred years ago or in the majority of the world today, your future was/is determined, usually by the career of your parents. Your life was the way it was by what seemed like a predetermined destiny, with little choices except whether or not to make the most of your destined situation. Contrast that with our culture today where the average 14-16 year old is forced to make major life-altering decisions about their career path from a seemingly limitless list of choices. The pressure of that and the potential to be wrong are equally distressing.

It is this phenomenon that I think feeds into shows like Heroes (which my wife and I began watching this Christmas). I think all of us want to be special…to do something no one else can do. We all fantasize about having an ability that would make us unique and special. I know I am not alone in this struggle with who I am and in many ways coming to grips with my limitations and beginning to see them as gifts from God. Let’s face it, if we were all gifted in every way, with no limitations, we would self-destruct…so I remember that we are normal. We each have numerous limits that are not the bane of our existence to be grieved, rather they are limits that need to be celebrated as gifts from God as much as our abilities are. Part of what makes you and I special is not simply our abilities but our limitations. So maybe we all need a dose of reality and accept who we are and who we are not.