What an unoriginal desire to be original? | Nandin-Erdene Battulga | TEDxOrkhon KhaSu IS Youth

Key Concepts

• Authenticity (Жинхэнэ чанар): Being true to one's self rather than performing uniqueness for others.
• Comparison Trap (Бусдаас ялгарах хүсэл): The psychological tendency to measure one's worth against others, leading to a loss of individual identity.
• Inherent Uniqueness (Төрөлхийн онцгой байдал): The idea that individuals are already unique due to their background, experiences, and inherent traits, rather than needing to "become" unique.
• External Validation (Гадаад үнэлэмж): Seeking approval or style cues from social media (Instagram, Pinterest) instead of internal satisfaction.

---

1. Main Topics and Key Points

The speaker explores the paradox of modern society: the obsession with being "unique" or "different" often leads to conformity.

• The Paradox of Uniqueness: If everyone strives to be "special" by following the same trends (limited edition items, curated playlists), no one is truly unique.
• Childhood vs. Adulthood: Children express themselves naturally (e.g., painting the sky yellow or grass pink) without the pressure to be "different." Adults, however, become obsessed with the concept of being different, which ironically makes them more uniform.
• The Illusion of Choice: We often mistake personal preferences (like a specific coffee or style) for a conscious effort to be "unique," when in reality, we are just performing for an audience.

2. Case Study: The Flower Drawing Experiment

The speaker recounts an experiment conducted by a university professor at a company:

• Phase 1 (Isolation): Employees were asked to draw a flower on a piece of paper while separated by book barriers. They focused deeply, creating unique, heartfelt drawings.
• Phase 2 (Comparison): The barriers were removed, and employees were given colored pencils to finish their work. Once they could see others' drawings, they lost their focus, constantly checking others' work and modifying their own to match or compete.
• Outcome: The professor noted that the drawings lost their original soul and beauty. The effort shifted from creative expression to social comparison.

3. Key Arguments and Perspectives

• The "Residual Color" Metaphor: The speaker argues that when we try to be like others, we are essentially painting our lives with "residual colors"—the leftovers of someone else's choices.
• Inherent Identity: The speaker emphasizes that factors like our family, birth date, and personal history are fixed. These "data points" already make us one-of-a-kind. We do not need to "create" uniqueness; we simply need to accept it.
• The Danger of Conformity: If everyone follows the same path to be "special," we all end up standing on the same spot, looking at the same empty horizon, with no one left to lead or innovate.

4. Notable Quotes

• "Хэрвээ энэ дэлхий дээр бүх хүн онцгой байхыг хүсэх юм бол эцэст нь яг хэн онцгой болж үлдэх вэ?" (If everyone in this world wants to be special, who will actually end up being special?)
• "Өөрийнхөө зурсан ваартай цэцэг тухайн өрөөний хамгийн үзэсгэлэнтэй цэцэг байсан болохоор үлдсэн амьдралаа өөр хэн нэгний үлдэгдэл өнгөөр будахад бүү зарцуулаарай." (Since the flower you drew was the most beautiful in the room, do not spend the rest of your life painting it with someone else's leftover colors.)

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The main takeaway is a call to shift focus from external performance to internal authenticity. The speaker concludes that we are already "limited edition" by virtue of our existence. The pursuit of being "different" is a distraction that leads to a life of "fake scripts" rather than a genuine story. The audience is encouraged to leave the room with the confidence that they are already enough and to stop wasting their limited time trying to mimic the "colors" of others.