https://twitter.com/cgayling/status/256411860293808128
I believe we’re almost universally filled with these strange little inner conflicts, perhaps they even aid in defining human nature. Today, I’m considering how we value our individuality, while actively trying to fit in.
Our upbringing might well seed this particular conflict. Even before we start school, our parents encourage us to be imaginative – they express avid delight in our every word and deed, while telling us how special we are. Then, they insist we conform to whatever their “normal” is – maybe that’s our table manners, or the way we greet our elders, or following their religious observances. Though none of this is bad, it certainly sows the seeds of conflict.
Then our early education begins. Now, we’re constantly told how valuable imagination and originality are, while being subjected to an endless barrage of tests to see how well we conform to “normal”. Personally, I think this type of educational system stinks – unfortunately, in the USA my children have access to no other.
What a confusing world for the young… No wonder kids dress in crazy clothes, dye and cut their hair into bizarre styles, then graduate to cover their flesh in piercings and tattoos, or worse. Their desire to be unique is so powerful it approaches despair.
We deprive our children of creative outlet by stripping arts programs from schools to save someone a dime. We enforce mediocrity by compelling our kids to “do well” in school, AKA conforming to the one size fits all mentality. We lower the academic bar to the lowest common denominator, then measure their scholastic success by how well they imitate their peers. Sad.
Society values originality, yet it demands conformity.
It took me over fifty years to learn writing grants my inner demons escape. Malmaxa, my first novel, reveals some of them. How long has it taken you to find release? If you’re yet to attain it, how long do you anticipate waiting?
