Exceptionalism

Exceptionalism: "the perception that a country, society, institution, movement, or time period is 'exceptional' (i.e., unusual or extraordinary) in some way."

In my "American Crisis" module (every Monday in a book-lined and slightly-chilly office in the brick English building), the five of us in the class have been talking about America –– obviously. One idea I've seen continually brought up in American Studies research, publications, and teaching is that of America's sense of exceptionalism.  Throughout the years, Americans have constructed a lens, a perspective of our nation's greatness. America is heroic, built on freedom and equality. America is the scrappy nation that pulled itself up from nothing and became a global power. America is different. America is strong. America is founded on all things good. America values individualism, invention, independence. America has no classism, and no issue too big to handle. America is exceptional, out of the ordinary, and wonderful.  I love my country, and think we have been extraordinarily blessed as a nation. However, critical and academic conversation is moving to re-look at America's foundations, to re-evaluate our mythic sense of exceptionalism. In all reality, we were built more on bully imperialism than plucky colonialism, racism more than equality, and violence more than peace and safety. But looking at the negative is what allows for change –– civil rights, suffrage, social reforms.  It's just not fun to see the grit. 

And I was thinking how just like humanity this is. We all want to be unique. To be good at something. To be the superhero. To be special. To do things differently. To make a difference. To be the David, not the Goliath. To be what everyone else wants to be, but better. And that's also the fascination with romantic love, right? The idea that someone who wasn't stuck with you would choose to be –– well, that's intoxicating. But talking about America's misconceptions and the bits we conveniently overlook made me wonder. What lies do I believe about myself? What aren't I seeing that I should be? Am I in denial? What can I do better, and what should I face?  Maybe I'm not that extraordinary. Maybe I'm not at all unique. Maybe it's all just a hype I've used in creating my identity. And that's the gritty thought no one wants to have. 

But then, this weekend at the Christian Union conference, we talked about the Samaritan woman at the well.  She looked for love in all the wrong places. Only Jesus saw her and knew her and loved her.  It made me happy to remember that at least one Person knows me –– not the "me" I want to be, or the "me" I put out into the world, but the raw "me." And He thinks I'm exceptional. He thinks humanity is exceptional. We've each been fingerprinted with different personalities, hair colors, laughs, styles, abilities.  But we don't have to work so hard, put up fronts, live on mythic stories that accentuate our uniqueness and pump up our exceptional qualities. Our weakness is human, and unavoidable. That's unbelievably freeing. You know you're truly loved (by that forever friend, that boy, that family, that God) when you don't have to work to be extraordinary. You just are. 

As the speaker said this weekend, "People have two things in common: we want to be happy, and we want to be loved."  And I am loved, I am known, I am exceptional –– without even trying. That's amazing.