Individuality and Conformity

We strive for individuality, yet we do so much to achieve conformity. We long to be ourselves, separate from everybody else, yet we long to be accepted and to belong. Belonging is difficult. While it seems to be learnt through high school, when people become gangsters or emo’s or popular bulimic or sporty jock or looser, and transformed through the workforce, where people become, secretary, cleaner, tradesman, apprentice, boss, office slave or looser. Throughout its lifetime belonging holds an unusual mix of conformity and separation. It needs its groups and differences otherwise we would have nothing to conform with and belong to. If the gangsters and the emo’s got along, there would be an outcry from both sides, because belonging to a select group, requires people that don’t belong. If everyone belonged, it wouldn’t feel so special. But if there was no one else just like us, we would feel alone, we would be outcast, by everyone, we would be the looser. Or become so famous, that we start the trend, and we are no longer alone or outcast, we become just like everyone else, because they would be like us.