Are We Really All That Different?

Sometimes it's easy to forgive someone for hurting you, but other times it's not. What sucks is that if you don't forgive them, it's you that hurts from the anger; they don't hurt. A lot of people don't feel guilty for the wrong they do, but why not? I know I always feel guilty even if I haven't done anything wrong. Maybe it's thanks to the environment I grew up in - sheltered Southern Baptist society where everything was wrong - but maybe it's just the way my brain functions. Will we ever really know why people think the way they do? I'm sure theories point to genetics and our environments, but I think it goes deeper than that. I think a lot different than my parents do and I don't readily accept what society accepts. Of course there are always going to be differences, but just how different is everyone really? On the inside probably completely different, like fingerprints, but when you get down to the basics we are all the same: the need for love and acceptance, the need for companionship ... etc. It seems to me that even though we all want to be "different" than everyone else, to "stand out" from the crowd, we are actually striving to be more like the people around us. Think about it: how many times have you hung around one person for an extended period of time (a best friend, family member, etc.) and ended up taking on one or more of their characteristics? I know I have, but I never noticed it until someone pointed out how I reminded them of the person I was spending so much time with. Subconsciously we all want to be like everyone else.