Breaking the mould

All too often, we hear about incidents involving some form of racism or another and it probably gets us thinking, will it ever stop? Will we ever get to the point where all humanity can co-exist as one with elements like skin colour or place of origin being insignificant? We can hope, can’t we? I know I do because it is long overdue that this mould is broken.

A little while ago, one such incident happened in the much loved sport of football (not the first certainly) when one player made a racial slur against another which prompted much outrage in the world. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t colour skin deep? A lot of us, if we look back down the lines of our ancestry, we will find that we have mixed origins with probably bloodlines we never really knew about. So who is anyone to deem themselves better than another? Weren’t we all created equal?

Tim Tebow is a young and talented football star with the Dallas “Broncos” whose public declaration and open love and appreciation of his faith has spurned a lot of outrage. Why is this? Is it because he refused to forego his beliefs for the sake of “fitting in” to the typical mould? Despite the countless times he has led his team as quarterback to victory, he is being ridiculed. Frankly, I find it very factitious of the American public, one that professes free speech and freedom of faith expression. Yet the young man perseveres, refusing to forego his beliefs and settling for less. He is breaking the mould.

Another personality who refused to fit into the mould of abject obscurity is President Barack Obama. A lot of people never thought they’d see the day when not just a man of colour, but one who hails from the core of Africa would govern that country. Yet almost four years on, he is still forging on and working towards re-election. But it has not all been a smooth ride. His administration inherited a lot of problems, one they are trying to fix. Yet he is still the target of negative backlash. Was he expected to miraculous turn the economy in the blink of an eye? By listening to some of the comments being made, obviously, he was it seemed, especially by those who did not favor him with their vote.

It takes a lot to govern a nation, so much more that the average individual knows. One man who found this out before he made the huge mistake of running for leader is the real estate tycoon Donald Trump. No doubt he has a sound business mind, but is a very fine and distinct line between governing a nation and a corporation, no matter how successful that corporation might be.

So it has been established that one of the major problems of humanity is the incessant need to “belong”, to “fit inn”. What I do not understand is why. Why settle for mediocrity when we can aim for excellence, why fit in when we should be striving to stand out and shine. I believe that it takes a lot more to be the one who steps up than the one who just hangs with the crowd. It certainly is more fulfilling. The “sheep” mentality (following) is a mould that should be made redundant.

We must all stand up for ideals and beliefs in a perfectly orderly and peaceful manner. At the end of our journey here on earth, what do we want to be remember for? Do you want to be the one who broke the norm, the exception who did not confine him/herself to the mould? To be one of the ones who was not afraid to venture where others couldn’t or wouldn’t? Be brave, be the ONE who broke the mould.