I recall the time when as a master's student, I attended a course I was very excited about. At the exam, I received an unsatisfactory mark and went to speak with the course assistant. She told me that I had answered the questions excellently, but that I was expected to write exactly what was delivered in the lectures, specifically, what was on the PowerPoint slides.
"So, I should have written the exact same thing?" I asked.
"Yes!" she replied.
I was utterly flabbergasted. Isn’t the university supposed to be a place where critical, individual, and creative thinking is encouraged and promoted? Indeed, some professors truly embraced and promoted this perspective, but, in my view, there were only a few of them, and I admired them deeply.
My disappointment resurfaced when, in one of my previous jobs, I heard the same old mindset, just expressed differently: "We've always done it this way." In other words, "We don’t want to progress; we want to maintain the status quo; we are afraid."
I have always strived to approach everything I do in my own unique way because I see life as an opportunity to express my whole being - my individuality. I believe each of us has so much to offer, as we carry within us an innate uniqueness and inner wisdom. Like a mystery, this wisdom reveals itself in an environment that is open, welcoming, evolving, sometimes challenging, but always nurturing and cooperative.
Especially at the time when everyone talks about AI as the ultimate solution to all the problems, one must ask: what makes humans unique? AI can much better “do it the same way” or “write as it was on the slides”, but it will miss the unique touch needed to connect deeply on a human level.
Ibn Arabi, the Sufi mystic, poet, and philosopher, said that each person has access to a unique aspect of divine wisdom that no one else has. To me, this idea beautifully highlights the profound value of human existence.
No matter where we are or what we do, I believe it is far more important to honor who we are and how we live. It is through embracing our individuality that we can progress and contribute to the collective well-being. Standard procedures and traditional ways hold tremendous value, but not when they are rigidly and forcefully imposed, leaving no room for the natural evolution that arises from each of us.
Cover photo: Illustration "Little Angel: Be Your Own Superhero" by Liudmila Kazak
Written by Liudmila Kazak