In the initial stages of our lives all we want to do is fit in. As we grow older all we want to do is be different. It’s a strange dichotomy for the same lifetime. That’s allowed of course, you can change your perspective towards life. The reason behind the transition is what fascinates me.
Let’s journey back to school. A bespectacled lady in the classroom tells you what good behavior is and that you are constantly being watched. The same saga is repeated during the impressionable years. Now different people react to this discourse in a number of ways. Some follow the path, some do the exact opposite, some differ but stay aligned when being watched and some accidentally disobey. This phase has a telling impact on the personality, sometimes lifelong. Toe the line or face the back of the hand. Now that’s hardly a fair choice.
Cut to the next phase, college. Ah the smell of freedom coupled with the rashness of youth. Brilliant!! A potent recipe for disaster or and a big or at that, foundations of a grand success. So which way does one go? Follow the path of conformity or break free. To be honest that’s not a real dilemma; in a country of over a billion even the rebels are fairly mainstream purely on the basis of absolute numbers.
Statistics apart, as you grow up, there is a compelling need to distinguish yourself from others. This is sometimes driven by questions like, ‘what sets you apart from others?’, or ‘how are you different from the next guy?’, or ‘what difference will you make?’ Standard questions asked in various settings and perfectly relevant too.
Now this gets me wondering, apart from the true rebels (don’t ask me to define a true rebel), are the others who are ‘being different’ actually different. They are in a sense conforming to the need to be different as expected due to external forces. So the next time you are asked to display you difference, you may want to ponder on what you as an individual really want.
