More from the "Yellow Dart"

This was written in December 2004 by a friend of mine, The Yellowdart. Enjoy.

It's a special time of year

THE YELLOWDART

We begin with a thought from "The Incredibles": "Saying everybody is special is just another way of saying nobody is." The statement appears in a negative context, as if there really ought to be something special about being special. In fact, the entire movie propounds the idea that special people are, well, special.
Think about that for a minute. "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" is somewhat less than a positive statement in George Orwell's 1945 political novel, Animal Farm. But isn't it the same idea that now resurfaces in, of all places, a Disney animation?
"Special should be special" is quite a surprise coming from a Hollywood accustomed to upholding the American ideal of absolute egalitarianism. From the moment we are born, we are indoctrinated with the American dream: anyone can do anything by trying hard enough and long enough. No one is better than anyone else.
So why does this idea of being special keep resurfacing? Why, after years of fighting racial discrimination and class conflict, do we question our hard-won equality? Is it possible that there is something to question?
Admittedly or no, we all think that way at times. It was not hard to think of myself as somewhat "special" while the folks behind me in the theater were chewing with their mouths open and belly-laughing whenever one of the characters got pummeled. Of course I am better at eating quietly and respecting the dignity of humanity than those jerks.
But does that make me better? Does that example or the movie itself give compelling proof that there is an inborn superiority in some of us? I don't think so. But "The Incredibles" reminds us of that sense that we cannot abolish the special, nor do we really want to.
Postmodernists tell us that every discipline and value system is a product of culture. Religion is legitimate because it is a construct of meaning in life within our culture, but no religion is any better than another. All are special; none are special.
Christianity goes against this philosophical tide by making the claim that it is unique. It is legitimate and universal, while other religions are not. In essence, the others are all the same: perversions of the knowable Truth in the Bible. This account sounds nearly as arrogant as its detractors claim it is.
But as the townsfolk of the movie find, sometimes we need something extraordinary to save us from evil. Perhaps that is why the idea of the special won't stay submerged. It is hard-wired into our consciousness. We know there should be something, someone special to handle the threats of this crooked world. We are helpless without Mr. Incredible.
As we enter the Christmas season, consider the reason we celebrate. The world tells us Jesus (if he ever existed) was just another man. Coming in the form of humanity, the screaming infant must have looked anything but special. But what other newborn was ever welcomed by strangers and heavenly hosts alike? This little man was special.
And he still is. In the figure of Jesus, Christianity and other religions part ways. They all have codes of ethics, prophets, rituals and spiritualism. But in what other religion did God become man and die for the sole purpose of restoring fellowship with man? Christianity is only unique because of the uniqueness of its namesake.
So, can we all be special? Indeed. In submitting to Christ's unique authority, we are freed from the mediocrity imposed by absolute equality. We no longer measure value by being "just as good" as others. We are special because we each have a unique calling from Mr. Incredible himself. When I worry that Susie or Joe might be better than I am, Jesus says to me what he said to Peter: "What is that to you? You must follow me."

Contact The Yellow Dart at yelladart@yahoo.com.