Because you are not." A local cable-access tape of the speech went viral (2.2 million views on YouTube) and led to McCullough's collection of essays, You Are Not Special and Other Encouragements ...

Just because you can be replaced in one context doesn’t mean you’re not special in another. Thinking about either or both as constant, across contexts is maladaptive.

All this is as it should be, because none of you is special. You are not special. ... on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you.