Thoughtless Conformity
Think for yourself. Don’t outsource your judgment. WAKE UP SHEEPLE!
These are all various types of maxims that give the same sort of cautionary advice: never stop questioning the actions of others around you. The best maxims give you a quick reminder to stand your ground when times get tough. The worst maxims end up on bumper stickers and in all caps.
Don’t conform just for the sake of fitting in, these slogans all say. Instead, make sure whatever you’re doing makes sense on its own.
Here’s Apple Computer’s famous Macintosh ad from the Super Bowl in 1984, echoing that sentiment as well as anyone:
Of course, it’s hard to call Apple an underdog anymore. Still, in the context of the moment, IBM represented the suit-wearing institutionalist, while Apple stood for the everyman—but more than that, it stood for innovators and creative people.
Innovation requires nonconformity, or it’s just the same old thing again.
So there you go: just be weird, and everything will work out in life.
Well… okay, maybe not so fast.
You can practice nonconformity by being a complete idiot, for instance. Is it silly that most people don’t drink paint?
No, what you want is thoughtful nonconformity. Come to think of it, you want thoughtful conformity as well! It’s almost as though the universe is telling us to be thoughtful.
Burp.
I think you pointed out the issue perfectly, sometimes, whether it’s by the media we consume or the people who heavily influence us, most people aren’t being present with themselves and forget to move thoughtfully throughout the day. Sometimes it has minimal impact, or the impact is devastating- either way, when people slow down to think for themselves they start to realize maybe they have been letting other run show for too long. I know I always think I’m not a sheeple and yet have fallen into the same sheeple trap, just with a different branding. I wonder if anyone ever actually makes it out.
YES!