Does Being Viewed as Odd Help to Shape Our Character?

When Vincent van Gogh lived among poor miners in the country of Belgium, earning very little as a lay pastor, his supervisors did not understand why Vincent gave away much of his own food and clothing. They terminated his employment at the end of a six-month probation period.

No-longer employed, Vincent could not continue to help the miners financially, but he kept observing how they lived and worked. He began to think about depicting them artistically. Walking 70 kilometers to the home of Jules Breton, a French artist who painted peasants at work, Vincent reached Breton’s home but didn’t have the courage to knock on the door.

People considered Vincent to be odd (and to exhibit odd behavior).

What do you consider to be “odd behavior?” Do you think that following your own path, instead of the same path followed by everyone else, is “odd behavior?” What makes it odd?

We could say that people who follow their own path are courageous. Do you agree with that? Why, or why not?

Does being viewed as “odd,” by others, help to shape our character? If so, how?

Do you think Dr. Seuss was right when he observed: “You have to be odd to be #1?” Why, or why not?