Existing or Being: A Call to Engage in Your Ecosystem

So many of us want to be, or at least be told, that we are unique, special, or different, but do we understand these words and what they mean? Let’s be honest: if humans share 99.9% of their DNA, how unique are we? There must be something other than that .01% that differentiates us. We know we are all different, but is that enough to make us “special”? The truth is, being different doesn’t necessarily make us special—it just makes us, well, different. And difference, in itself, is replaceable. What truly sets us apart, what truly makes us special, is not our mere existence but how we interact with our ecosystem and how we contribute to something greater than ourselves.

Passivity, though, will never make you special. It’s the difference between simply “being” and truly “being.” The former is merely existing, while the latter is about engaging, interacting, and making a mark on the world around you. A white blood cell floating aimlessly in the bloodstream isn’t special; it’s just there. But when it engages, when it fights off infection and plays its role in the body’s defense system, it becomes special, indispensable even. This is a lesson we can all take to heart.

You see, we are not special because we exist. We are special because of how we exist, how we play our part in the larger ecosystem that is life. Our uniqueness is not an inherent trait—it’s a product of our actions, our interactions, and our contributions. It’s how we fit into the grand web of life, how we make the whole better, that defines our true uniqueness.

Many of us spend our lives searching for purpose, as if it’s something hidden, something we need to uncover. But purpose isn’t found in isolation. It’s found in understanding how we fit into our ecosystem, in recognizing the role we play in making the greater whole better. It’s about contributing to the world around us, about realizing that our uniqueness only matters in the context of the impact we have on others.

Erich Fromm, in his book The Art of Being, talks about how even the smallest interaction with another person can change who we are and how we see the world. These changes, no matter how subtle, are proof that our uniqueness and specialness only gain meaning when they relate to the greater world around us. Similarly, Fritjof Capra, in The Web of Life, emphasizes that the world is an interconnected ecosystem where every molecule, every being, interacts with and influences others. Our distinction is not in our isolation but in our interrelation, in how we contribute to the system as a whole.

This is a call to action. If you want to be special, if you want to be truly unique, you must engage with your ecosystem. Don’t settle for simply existing—strive to make a difference. Understand your role, embrace it, and actively contribute to the world around you. Because in the end, being special isn’t about being different. It’s about how your difference makes a difference in the world.

So, ask yourself: Are you just “existing,” or are you truly “being”? The difference might just change everything.

________________________________

This first appeared in The Havok Journal on August 19, 2024.

JC Glick serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The COMMIT Foundation. JC brings with him a wealth of experience as a leadership consultant and career Army officer and is driven by a deep commitment to supporting veterans in their transition journey. Since transitioning from 20 years of military service in 2015, JC has been a founder and partner of two leadership companies, where his clients included Fortune 500 companies, international non-profit organizations, government agencies, the NFL, numerous NFL and NBA teams, and multiple NCAA programs.

Over the course of his Army career, JC spent over seven years in the Ranger regiment, serving in two Ranger Battalions as well as Regimental Headquarters, participating in the Best Ranger Competition twice, and has over seven and a half years of command time with 11 operational and combat deployments to Haiti, Bangladesh, Iraq, and Afghanistan. JC is the author of two books, including A Light in the Darkness: Leadership Development for the Unknown. In 2017, he was selected as a TEDX Speaker and delivered Rethinking Leadership at TEDX Hammond. JC is also an adjunct professor at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island and is a Liberty Fellow, part of the Aspen Institute.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.