"Be Ye Separate"

A week or two ago I was reading through Alma 5 copying down all of the questions Alma asks the reader.  I hadn't finished yet, but Mom's email today reminded me to finish up.  As I was reading this morning I came across a phrase I like in verse 57:

And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate

The phrase "be ye separate" stuck out to me.  Especially as one who doesn't enjoy being different or being the center of attention, that can be hard.  Of course, I'm a lot better at it now than when I was in high school.  At least, I think I am.  It's been a long time since I've lived in a largely non-LDS community.  I like to think I would do a better job of being separate now.

But what does separate really mean in this context?  Is it an exhortation to physically be separate from wickedness?  In some cases, I think so.  There are places and settings where we ought not to be, and the best thing to do is to physically separate ourselves from those environments, should we find ourselves in them.  But I think it's also a state of mind.  We need to see ourselves as above the wickedness of the world*.  We need to separate ourselves spiritually as well.  We can't be afraid to be different.  That's far easier said than done, but it's important.

*Above the wickedness does not mean above the wicked.  God loves loves sinners too, and it's a good thing, because we are all sinners.  Just because our sins may not be as severe or as public doesn't mean we're any better.

Note: For those of you who use Windows 8--it can do some cool things.  You can download the Gospel Library app for Windows, and then you can do a split-screen thing.  I was just using it to type up the questions from Alma 5 as I read, and now I'm using it for this blog post.  It's nice because I don't have to keep switching windows.