Conformity

I've been pondering a bit these days about the concept behind conformity. It's almost always viewed as a rather negative phenomenon, especially by American ideals. To this society, we see conformity as a means by which an individual cages up their freedom or self expression or uniqueness. To some extent, I agree. Simply shutting your individuality inward in order to appear the same as the herd is a scary and lonely thing isn't it? That kind of defense mechanism dilutes communication, exploration, and flavor in humanity.

And it led me to contemplate about the so called "rebels" out there, who believe that they are nonconformists because they refuse to oblige by societal norms. I remembered the punk rock era of the late 1970's at the birth of bands like the Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood's shocking fashion outbreak of torn clothing, pins, chains, and creepers. That whole punk scene sparked a huge movement of other "nonconformists" as well, and I have to admit, the whole thing was pretty epic.

But don't you think that despite this absolute culture shock that the punk rockers created, they were still conforming? Don't you think they were well aware of being part of the punk rock "group" with their chain, studded, leather, badass uniforms? Even in the slightest way, I think everyone is a conformist. And what's wrong with that? You can bet anything that they were happy about what they were doing, what they were contributing to. It probably made them feel great to be a part of such a prominent scene.

In the end, we're all human and humans are at the core, animals who respond to stimuli that will ensure survival and ultimately, happiness. Since the human race existed, we've traveled and settled in groups. We've communicated and compromised and, for the most part, tolerated one another for centuries.

It's a basic human need to want to be a part of a group--even if that group consists of only one individual. And in turn, I think it's a shared fear to be alone, whether communication exists or not, the thought of loneliness is quite an intimidating one if you really sit and think about it.

Yea, I guess I'm kind of a conformist myself, following a religion and abiding by the dress code, adjusting my manners accordingly, adjusting what I eat and drink accordingly, etc. My entire lifestyle is on the basis of my religion.

So why don't I feel oppressed or muted or colorless? It's because no matter what group a person chooses to be in, no matter what society or religion a person chooses to abide by, they're still themselves. No two fingerprints are alike, and I think God made us that way to remind us that we're our own unique individuals and that we must love ourselves for who we are and what we can shape ourselves to become. ♦

May the peace and blessings of God be upon you. ♥