Don’t Buy It

I’m not a professional writer. Frankly, I’m not even a good one.

I’m a person with arguably too much time on my hands. And at the same time, not enough.

I am providing fair warning right now that I may lack clarity and/or reason. For both your sanity and my own, I hope these will improve.

What this is going to be is the following: My attempt to find some coherent ideas in the midst of my chaotic thoughts about conformity.

I’ve observed how conformity has worked in my life. I’ve witnessed how it has worked in schools and offices. At times, I have profited from its benefits. But also, I’ve been fooled when it’s led me astray.

Lately, it’s been trending bad me thinks.

We are in an age of social and reckless media. Both driven by ‘Like’s rather than substance.

This concerns me.

How does a person know what or whom to trust?

Society is becoming more prone to malconform — what I would define as conformity to bad habits, ideals, groups and norms.

A dangerously oblivious culture is a slippery slope for all of us.

While I have tried to shield myself against this, I would be a fool to think I have been successful in doing so.

What I have succeeded in, however, is keeping this quote in the back of my mind.

It’s from Morrie. You know him I hope, he taught on Tuesdays.

“You have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.”

This is what I use to try to keep myself grounded. It guides me as I attempt to sift through all the bullshit in the world.

When it works, I come out clean on the other side, like Andy Dufresne.

When it doesn’t… honestly, I probably don’t know until it’s too late. Like realizing the guy next to you on the subway dropped some mustard ass gas and you don’t know until you’ve inhaled and passed out.

Malconformity surrounds us, and so this is what I want to talk about. Examples. Thoughts. Possible Solutions.

Hopefully in the process I will find some lucid thoughts that will offer a new way of thinking about things. If not for you, then just for me.