I have observed in myself (predominantly) and in many others whom I know well enough a principle of human nature.

We all have certain aptitudes, things which make us who we are. In fact what distinguishes one human from another is the range and diversity of aptitudes they have or lack. By 'aptitude' I mean any particularly strong personality trait, the area of human activity where, comparatively at least, we excel. In myself, for instance, I have noted a capacity to focus on a task or project. When younger, while computer programming (which I did for a living for a good number of years) I managed quite often to surprise myself by noting at three o'clock in the afternoon that having started at nine in the morning I had worked through without pausing, or even noticing the passing of my usual lunchtime. Let us call this an aptitude.

But with every aptitude there seems to be tacked on the capability of taking it to an extreme. The power of focus, taken to its extreme, becomes a tendency to ignore what should not be ignored, especially other people and their needs. I have noted this too in myself, and in my better moments regret this fault, which it certainly is. So the aptitude which could be thought of as good becomes a fault when the X-Factor (being taken to the extreme) intrudes.

There are many virtues like this. Concern for others is a great quality, which we all need, but it can be taken to an extreme, such that the person interferes and makes themselves a nuisance even.

Another type of X-Factor is when a person tends to use their good quality to exploit others. This is the temptation with every meritorious quality, that I use it more for my own benefit and end up finding myself not caring how much this may be exploitative.

A further type of X-Factor is when we do a particular kind of good, but only for a limited few. Here we are guilty of excluding a group of people, whether deliberately or unconsciously. It is another X-Factor that sullies any beautiful quality we may have if it intrudes.

So each of these three key concepts (extremeness, exploitation, and exclusion) adds a layer of blemish to what would otherwise be a worthy characteristic of our personality. And sometimes two or more of them can come in unison. The X-Factor can take every good quality we have and turn it into something less than beautiful, or even - at its worst - into something ugly.

We will never know how far we owe heredity or our upbringing for the qualities and aptitudes we detect in ourselves. Certainly it is some of both. Was Mozart the musical genius he was because of his father or in spite of his father? Each of us grapples with the fact that we are different from our parents, yet owe them so much, physically, emotionally, intellectually. And we are different from each other. It is no use us saying 'I want to be like so-and-so.' We have our own unique bundle of physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics. Our task is to use what we have.

God knows that each of us is an individual, each with our unique bundles, and with each of our good qualities tarnished to some degree by the X-Factor. What is His plan?

I believe He does not intend that we should all end up the same, as if there were a model human being prototype to which we will all one day be conformed. He Himself has taken on human flesh, and He knows how easy it is for us to be diverted from the best our good qualities can produce. He was without sin Himself, but He knows what strong impulses there are towards letting the X-Factor spoil things for us. His agenda is for us to be set free from the X-Factor in ourselves, and so become more the person we have the capacity to be, not less. Yes, He wants us to be Christ-like, but I believe we will be so in a multitude of different ways, when God's perfect will for us has eventually been achieved.

Meanwhile, on the way in this life towards that destination, we have a duty to look at our character traits very objectively. They exist, first of all, and we do no good by suppressing them, or pretending they don't exist, let alone presuming that the X-Factor does not matter. I believe we must be true to ourselves and be the person we know we are. We will not get rid of the X-Factor simply by will-power. We need God's help. So we need to live our lives openly, allowing Him to see how far we really understand ourselves, and all the time allowing Him to shine His light on the totality of who we are. To hide away is foolish, as well as - ultimately - impossible.