Replications
We make things, that look like things, but they are not those things. They are copies of an original and always themselves, another original should they serve that purpose.
Often, parts of a whole —
People in a universe.
Symbols that are meant to convey a message, perform a function, serve a purpose.
Nothing that is 2nd is ever equivalent to the 1st, each is unique. With the exception of massed produced tools, which too, are simply replications of an original, the act of replication in an individual should be viewed as a sin. Functioning as an independent individual among the myriad is crucial to expanding the limits of the whole.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
— Charles Caleb Colton
To self actualize is to enable one’s self for peak original output. Original creative output is arrogance of the highest order because you are suggesting you have the capacity to produce something in a new and better fashion than has ever been done. The craziest part — you do.