“Let us not follow where the path may lead.
Let us go instead where there’s no path and leave a trail” (Japanese Proverb)
My dictionary defines
conformity as “compliance with standards,
rules, or laws” and “behaviour in
accordance with socially accepted conventions.” Negative form of Conformity
creeps into us because of the fear of disregarding social norms, the fear of
social disapproval. A number of factors raise the desire to conformity. Fear of failure, fear of humiliation and
rejection, and allergy to ambiguity (or uncertainly) may make one escape into a
safe, don’t-rock-the-boat, conformist niche. Conformity permits a
relatively risk-free existence through the acceptance of the status quo. It manifests
itself in excessive compliance to customs, traditions, rituals, and procedures.
(Also standards, rules and man-made laws).
An excessive desire for conformity is clearly a block
to creativity, since creativity implies change in the status quo. Indeed, conformists have often blocked creative
individuals. Jesus, my Lord was rejected by the Pharisees for his teachings
(and his claiming to be equal with God) and Galileo was made to recant his
theories by the Roman Catholic Church. No doubt, some research evidence
suggests that conformity to social pressures dampens creativity.
Some conformity is, of
course, essential for any social existence. But without creativity, a society
would soon face extinction since the world keeps on changing, thereby making
the status quo obsolete. Societies that adapt quickly tend to survive and
prosper. Those that stick to conventional modes are often superseded by those
that do not.
“The roots of conformity may go deep, into child-rearing practices, into
what is considered right and wrong behaviour, and the severity with which
deviation from socially prescribed behaviour is punished,” write Pradip N.
Khandwalla in his book Lifelong Creativity. He added: “Conformity cannot be got rid of easily. Active questioning of conventions and habits, exposure to dynamic cultures, and rewarding of creative forays, however, can break the shackles of
conformity. A study of individuals who successfully broke conventions can also fortify one’s resistance to conformity,
as also friendship with unconventional
types.”
“Creativity often rewards the non-conformist, the iconoclast, the
generalist who treats life not a linear fast track to success, but as a forest
of rich discoveries that one can meander through, creating one’s own trail”
(Ho Kwon Ping). Most of the time, be a non-conformist!
Lord, Give
Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
