Are you an Alien or a Robot?
An alien being someone who
goes their own way,
not being afraid of being unique;
A robot being someone who follows
and likes what other people like
due to popularity.DengKeeevvin
I’ve always been an alien. No doubt about it. I have my own thoughts and am pretty indifferent as to whether they mesh with the status quo. I only conform to the practical things, such as being employed and maintaining the skills it takes to be employable, or obeying the laws of my country (ie not dismantling or reprogramming the more ignorant robots I must deal with in my day to day life).
Conformity does serve a purpose. In some circumstances, it can save you from becoming a victim. On the other hand, nothing was ever changed by hiding out in the shadows. I don’t believe in conforming if it means betraying my beliefs or morals. I’m sure lots of people could agree with that principle, but putting it into practice is another thing entirely. I’ve been told that I was born too late or too soon. I have old fashioned ethics, coupled with a liberal openness to new concepts and ideas. I don’t follow rules, per se, rather I feel my way along, examining my motives and the impact my actions will have on others.
With respect to morality and openness of heart – values usually regarded as something to which religion contributes – a literal approach seems unable to foster one’s development as a moral human being. I think this is because when the world is made up of rules and commands that take their force from Higher Authority, one never has to think deeply about the impact of what one does so long as the letter of the law is obeyed. This is very sad.
On the other hand, when the rules are less certain, or are simply principles, they require that we think about the larger context of what we do… The result is to push us to examine our own motives and the impact of what we do on others. (Spirituality and Empathy)
In the end, I am my own person, conforming to those aspects of society which serve my will but which are not always convenient. It is certainly not convenient in today’s society to be asexual or a Pagan, yet I choose to maintain both world views because that is who I am. It would be more convenient to be a robot and conform to society’s standards of sexuality and religion, but it would not be satisfying to be someone I am not.
June 19th
In ancient Rome, the Day of All Heras began tonight in honor of the Goddess within as well as all wise women.
Comments (3)
Very well written… and I agree with you. Hmmmm… maybe this is why I’m a victim a lot…
Would you say that a person can only be non-conformist if they’ve given up trying to fit in, or can people who hide their nonconformist tendencies still be considered non-conformist. If one is living a life outside of the norm but is struggling to hide it, isn’t one still conforming to expectations?
@heidenkind - It’s not really a matter of giving up trying to fit in as it is
a complete lack of interest in whether or not you can fit in at all. I think that people are better at being nonconformist when they are indifferent to mainstream. The minute someone becomes aware of how other people live and how different it is from how they live, that’s when they have a choice. If they continue to be different without acquiesing to social expectation, but make an attempt to appear like everyone else, they are still conforming to social pressures. At best, it makes the person a hypocrite. The only way to be a true nonconformist is to pick and choose what aspects of culture to incorporate and which to discard in an effort to be true to oneself. Anyone who makes an effort to hide how they are different is a robot. They are making the attempt to be true to other’s expectations, not their own.