I was once asked, "why are you such a follower?" To which I promptly replied "Because there's safety in anonymity?" Mind you, I merely said this for giggles (teh lulz) but it gave me pause for thought.
Quite obviously, because I've written a post on this very subject.
I notice people are quite fond of distinguishing themselves from everyone else. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I admire anyone willing to put in that much work. It just seems like a great deal of energy would be expended trying to differentiate oneself from the whole of the society they live in. But it raised another question:
"What makes people think they're even remotely a generic 'everyperson'?"
Last I checked, speaking only for myself, I'm "me" (whoever the hell that is) and I don't really identify myself as "part of a herd" or pack or social group. There are groups I hang out in, there are groups I work for, there are places I go and I don't feel as though they embody or epitomize who I am. A segue is fine too, into the question:
"So, is conformity merely a state of mind vice a state of being?"
This is also a question I have to ask myself because I don't have anyone around to ask...yet. To me, being such an abstract concept, it is a state of mind. But if in fact there are those who believe it's a state of being then how is it that one can, in the whole of their being, be a "conformist"? How can a person be identified not by a name, but by a social group? There are ways of course to address someone by the group they "represent", many of which bearing on race; and many of these ways could be considered racist. Also sexist, fascist, marxist, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Islamic...the list goes on.
I'm not trying to sell anyone on conformity because if it doesn't exist, if it is merely an opinion or state of mind, then why worry about it? Which is more frightening, the thought of a lion appearing before you, or actually having to run back to your car?
Just a thought...just a thought...
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