There is nothing worse than a conformist that conforms to nonconformity.
It seems a bit ironic how sometimes people seem to go out of their way to be different- it’s no different than trying to be normal and fit in. If you like something, you shouldn’t hide your true feelings and stop liking it because it becomes popular, just because you don’t want people to think you’re conforming. It completely defeats the purpose, and people don’t even realize it. Being yourself means marching to the beat of your own drum, and not caring whether people see you as unique or a conformist. For example, if you want to join a sorority, or are a fan of a certain musical artist, their popularity or social stigma and implications should not effect whether or not you continue to be a part of that sorority or continue to support the artist. If, however, you do happen to be interested in or passionate about something that is not yet mainstream, you can most certainly pride yourself on being your own person and marching to the beat of your own drum.
What’s even worse though, is when those same “different” people judge others that, from the outside, seem to be conforming, as conformists. People who have blonde hair and don’t wish to dye it black, people who enjoy football and cheerleading simply for the sake of the sport, people who, like me, join a sorority and enjoy the latest pop hits on the radio- these people are not necessarily conformists. In fact, those people may just be living their life the way they want, even less concerned about your opinion than you claim to be of theirs. All this may have seemed a little jumbled and a bit difficult to understand, but I just wanted to emphasize the importance of the phrase, “live & let live”: Be yourself & live your life the best way you know how, and don’t waste your time worrying about others, or their opinions of you. Life is just too short for all of that, and, in the words of Mother Teresa, “If you judge people, you’ll have no time to love them.”
“I don’t set out to be different- I set out to be me and people think that’s different.”-Unknown
