Bus journey to Pokhara

She asked me, "Do you strive to be different or indifferent?"

The trip to Kathmandu was memorable, and I made some good friends along the way. It was a great experience to try different foods and learn more about the culture and people of the country. I experienced both the peaks and troughs of solo travel. It was adventurous. I had to be careful about what I did. At times I felt lonely and bored. It forced me to explore the place alone and start conversations with people. I tried to befriend more people. I enjoyed the serendipity that the journey offered.

The journey between Kathmandu and Pokhara took about a day. Due to landslides and road maintenance work, a 4-hour bus journey became a 9-hour one. The co-passenger was a nurse. In our conversation, she asked me, "Do you strive to be different or indifferent¹?" It was a simple question and the common response to such a question was different. After thinking for a while, I replied indifferently. Then we had some exchange of ideas and we left this topic The same question was asked to another girl. She thought for a while and then said indifferently. Her response amused the questioner too, and she started explaining and her responses changed to different. Now they both asked me to rationalize my response. 

I wanted to think aloud about this here. Everyone is unique in their own way. We all are different. I am different. At least I thought I was. When I looked deep into myself, I was trying to be indifferent. It can be in different ways, by wearing branded clothes or by following some cult. Achieving goals set by society. Trying to look like someone else. We try to be indifferent so that we are not left alone in a crowd. We all seek our tribe. Then how do we become different?

1. Indifferent in this context means similar to our peers