Conform? Never.

Conformity. It's one of those things that gets a bad rap (wrap?), thank you very much Hitler, Communism etc. But is conforming really such a bad thing? What does it take to be a non-conformist? These questions I will now try to blog in detail. When I think of conforming, my mind thinks of phrases like, "Another sheep in the flock" or "Another cow in the flock" or "Another monkey in the... well you get the idea. But really conformity is something that I feel should be embraced, or at least better understood... as I will later explain, it cannot be avoided. Conformity for one, is good for business. If you can't come up with something to sell that most people will like, you're not going to get very far. With that being said, if your product is a little bit "out there", you can only make it a success through persuading other people to CONFORM to the idea that they need your wacky product.

So, one could say that being a non-conformist would mean being a "trend-setter", but really you're just starting a new group of conformists with you at the head as lead conformist (or chief conformist whatever is more comfortable). What about social (is there any other kind?) non-conformity? One word: EMO. Whoever started the emo movement, I'm sure, was trying ever so hard to be a non-conformist... the words EPIC FAIL come to mind. What started out as a teenager feeling misunderstood (never heard that one before), has devolved into nothing more than a terrible fashion statement. What was once awkward independence, is now a hairstyle and a pair of tight black girl jeans. Social non-conformity, it just can't happen. True non-conformity? To be a true non-conformist... well if you ever say to yourself, "I refuse to conform to that idea" and feel that you are now the coolest person in the world for having made this decision... should you happen to bump into someone that shares that same desire to not conform, then I am ever so sorry but once again true non-conformity has escaped your grasp. Even to put it out to the random public that you refuse to conform, is really a form of attention seeking as you clearly desire for someone to agree with you, which, as defined before, is conforming.

Conclusion, to be truly non-conforming, is to be alone, not the "spent a day by myself to meditate" alone, but full-blown disconnection from the world around you. Nobody wants that, not even Satan wants that as even "misery loves company". So if you are out there feeling the need to not conform, then good for you, you may just start a new trend. But don't say that you are a non-conformist, because these people don't exist and if I am made aware of your existence, then you have failed.

Extra conclusion, upon writing this blog I've thought about it more and realized that conforming is not something we have to do either... conforming for me is doing something that you don't want to do... or using the excuse that everyone is doing it. But if you are doing something because you want to do it and everyone else just happens to be doing it as well, then that isn't conforming. The message I think I'm trying to get across here is BE YOURSELF. We all know what's right and what's wrong and that is how we should base our decision making!

I'M LAME,

Phil

P.S. Everybody should get "PEZ" :D