Sameness....differentness. I have such an unusual fascination with being different. I want to feel like I am truly unique. But, I still have a considerable desire for other people's approval. I want others to connect with me in some way and say: "Yeah, him and I are the same in that way." That seems to be what makes comedy work. Somebody says something, and we say: "Yes, that is true! I see it the same way!". And we bond to them. We connect with them.

This (I'm learning) is why I always used humor as a defense mechanism in school growing up. Some kid would call me a name, or make fun of my clothes, somehow to point out how I was "different", and I would look for someway to get attention from others so that I could feel "the same" again.

This is a wonderful paradox of life. We are all the same and all different. I want to feel both at different times in life. I suspect that we are more the same than different. Maybe great leaders are people who focus on our "oneness". I like the idea of living in a big tent.