Should We Fit Into Societal Norms?
This, my friends, is a very deep question. A lot of layers can be broken down and discussed based on this topic. This is inspired by the thought of success. This makes me think about how the world is balanced with successful people that are rich and some that do what they love yet do not make much money. This is predicated on the focal point of our purpose in life. Our focus on becoming who we really are before we die.
We find ourselves by entering into society and creating our perspective through experiences. We may play sports or video games, draw or paint, dance or sing, watch movies or create them. We start to find ourselves between others that have the same interests. We grow roots into whatever it is we find enjoyable by continuously learning about whatever it is we love like music or sports. Once we reach a certain age we find ourselves living in that certain realm or comfort zone. With this connection we feel like we belong in the world even though there are thousands of other realm’s that people belong too.
You can sit down next to someone that is a tattoo artist and has been getting tattoos since a young age, learned the history of them, and has been around that culture for years. That person may not know the slightest thing about football even though you are part of a fantasy league, have been playing since peewee, and you buy the season game pass every year on your T.V. The tattoo artist can tell you everything about tattoos but nothing at all about football… does this make you feel like football isn’t as important as you thought?
There are some people that have their life revolving around their business. Working inside a bakery is all they know and they’re happy serving their town with the best bread. I say these examples because this is the reality of the world. We all have thoughts and visions that get us going through our daily lives. Money may be the motivation as you go to work every morning, or maybe taking care of your newborn baby is your focus in life. Between the things we want to accomplish and constantly think about we also have our normal daily life that we care about such as hanging out with friends or catching the Sunday night game.
For someone that is working on their goals, they may not have time for friends and games. They have the next project to work on and a flight to catch in the morning for a meeting before ANOTHER meeting that same evening. Once you are in this introspective position, all the things that society gets our attention for does not seem as important as before. I beg the question: should we fit into societal norms? I notice that successful people out there usually are in their own world, creating a great life for themselves. They wouldn’t tell you about The Grammy’s because they just finished a book that their publishing. While that person is becoming successful the world is indulging in entertainment that doesn’t bring much value.
It becomes a bit confusing when you get deeper into the question only for the simple fact that what we strive to achieve, we basically build a piece of substance into the world that hasn’t been there before. Let me simplify:
You create a song and put it on the internet. You have just added something unique to the world that a person can now consume. For that substance to have value you need more people to consume it. For those people to consume it you are basically asking someone to take time out of their day to give YOU value.
This whole societal norm becomes a cycle that is the basis of human life. We feel the need to watch the new television series so we can fit into a conversation or the football games to understand the playoff picture. I can answer my question after breaking this last part down. I conclude by saying, “You need some people that are not trying to become successful in order for yourself to become successful.” This is a major truth that many do not see. Not everyone can become equally successful because we need more consumers in order to drive our own successes. This plays into the philosophy of leaders and followers. There will always be more followers than leaders because it’s easier to follow than to lead.
As I try to stay on point in this breakdown, I want to point out that it does not mean you are a loser if you are a follower. In the end of the day you are working your average job and living a happy life IF that is the life you chose. Not everyone wants to be a CEO or a millionaire. The successful individuals rise to the occasion when other’s would rather watch. They have reached that point in their lives due to sacrificing what they usually participate in. That sacrifice is staying away from societal norms and staying focused on your mission. Should we fit into societal norms? I would say it depends on what you are looking for in your life. Be honest with yourself and know that your goals are are more important than that game or show.
