Individuality
Individuality is dangerous.
Seriously. When I was “growing up”-ages 1 to 16 or so-my parents, as many did I assume, told me I could do anything I wanted to do, they told me to be myself, not follow the crowd, just to be myself. But that means that if you tell a child, “Don’t follow the norm, be true to yourself and your own feelings”, then he may want to be a homicidal maniac, and man that’s just BAD. So what do we do about this problem? Well, as much as I value individuality, I must admit that even I’m going to take a stance against this one. I’ve been not following trends or the norm or fads or ANYTHING my entire life, and let me tell ya, it’s been MISERABLE. So I really think we SHOULD tell children, “Be true to the person everyone wants you to be.”
Trust me, it’s easier to live and be happy when you’re following the crowd and are generally part of the social norm than it is NOT to be. When you’re NOT then you’re outcasted, ridiculed, get tired of the pain, and go back to the school and shoot everyone. So anyway you push individuality, it ends with a bang. I mean, in the end it’s just EASIER to fit in. All you need to do is buy the right clothes, have the right hairstyle and make the right friends. NOT TOO DIFFICULT. I mean, you think Charlie Manson had many friends? No, he was proud of his individuality. He was proud of what he did. I, however, generally hate myself through and through. See how this works?
The only good thing I WILL say about individuality is that it DOES make you more interesting, with your own morals and own belief code. But then again, that also means you can end up thinking molesting children and killing puppies is ok. It’s a tricky tricky ride.
Even if it IS a fun one.
m@rk
PS: Please read my girlfriend’s blog called “Backseat Driver” right here: http://simplicity1217.wordpress.com/
