Chosen one

Reader question:

Please explain “chosen one”, as in this sentence: He believed that he was the chosen one.

My comments:

It means he believed he was special, different from, and especially better than, other people.

Chosen ones originally refer to the Jewish people, who were considered favorites of God. This, for instance, from a translated version of the Bible, New Testament, Mark 13:20 (EastonsBibleDictionary.com):

Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days.

Others argue, however, that the chosen ones only apply to people who follow Jesus Christ, and not the Jewish as a whole.

Whatever the case, it’s safe to know that “chosen one” or “chosen ones” come from Christianity, a religion practiced by Christians who, by the way, believe their religion is the best religion amongst all the religions in the world.

Which is no different, of course, from the way all other religious people think – that their religion is the only true religion.

Which, I’m afraid, sums religions up in a nutshell.

Anyways, “chosen one” or “chosen ones” are in common everyday language today. To be chosen is to be picked. If a person is chosen to be president through election, for instance, he’s picked and selected from a group of people of similar qualities because he’s considered to be, in one way or other, better suited than others.

Hence the connotation, that the chosen one is special.

Here, get a better feel through real examples:

1. Unfortunately, becoming an actor is not effortless and to make it to the pinnacle of your profession is not so simplistic as showing up in Hollywood and yelling, “I’m here!” If you’re prepared to put your blood, sweat, tears on the line, then you might have a shred of hope.

Can you act? We’re not talking about faking sick to get out of your pop quiz or coming up with excuses about that other girl your wife saw you with. Acting comes naturally to some, yes, but you will still need to hone those innate skills of yours through proper training and experience.

Keep in mind that acting is an ongoing process. As sappy as this might sound, you have to tune into yourself and figure out exactly which extreme you can take yourself to when it comes to emotion. This is not the time to get shy on the world. This world can be demanding both physically and emotionally so be prepared to expose your emotions if need be. If you want success, you’ll have to sell out one way or another.

Get your hands on any acting gig you can when you first start out; behaving as if you are the chosen one is not recommended also. Many actors including Tom Cruise tried out for many TV commercials, let alone acted in as many theater productions as possible. So get out and get busy, you have a lot of work to do. Try your best to get any parts here and there; be seen as much as possible. It’s very important that you take initiative and make the most of every day by taking note of what’s going on around you.

- Become an actor or actress, AuditionAgency.com.

2. Let’s say that you come upon a busy road that you want to merge into. The first step is: don’t look for oncoming traffic. Looking for oncoming traffic is like saying to all of the other motorists “I have no desire to go anywhere and would prefer to just watch everyone else pass by. Don’t worry about me!” If you ever get to the point that you lock eyes with another driver, you might as well just pull out a sandwich and have a picnic, because you’re going to be there for a while.

The best way to merge is to go all Matrix on its ass and say to yourself “There is no traffic”. Then rev your scooter into the street as if you were the only one there. All the cars and other scooters will then move smoothly around you as if you were the Chosen One. It works every time. Believe me.

- Riding a Scooter Like a Local in Thailand, OnOurOwnPath.com.

3. It’s been one of the biggest sports stories of the season, becoming one of the dominant topics in cyberspace and on television: Where will basketball great LeBron James play ball? Even beloved television actress Betty White got into the act, making a plea for the NBA star to stay in Cleveland.

The speculation about his future whereabouts was so great that it was decided that the announcement of his next career move would be carried live on ESPN.

But the man who has been nicknamed the “Chosen One” did not have an easy path to sports superstardom.

His mother was in her mid-teens when she found out she was pregnant. High school graduation was still a while away. She was not a person of means.

About a decade before her pregnancy, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that the mere fact of being a teenager could be considered a health reason justifying abortion. She could have easily taken that route. In fact, chances are a Planned Parenthood counselor would have recommended it.

But she chose life, and her son became known as the Chosen One.

- The Untold LeBron James Story: He Could Have Been a Victim of Abortion, LifeNews.com, July 9, 2010.

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.