Your Therapists Corner

            As time goes on, many people wonder, “What is better? To go through life conforming to everything no matter what it is, or to follow what I think is right even if it doesn’t follow what society as a whole is doing?” That question has been looming over many people. Now here is the answer; both conformists and non-conformists have their advantages and disadvantages. Conformists create peace but may also drag the society down with them when bad choices are made while non-conformists may create unrest due to the changes they promote.

            Conformists, as a whole, have many advantages to the way they act. First, they create a feeling of peace. When my parents get mad at me for doing something I may have thought was right, and I just sit and nod my head, my parents would be happy with me and life would go on like nothing happened. This creates an atmosphere of happiness. They also avoid having to many future confrontations. As the people who fought the civil war continued to stand up for what they felt was right, the contention rose and people became massively unhappy. When people are unhappy, two things can result. Either they will fight about it and settle it with more hatred, or they will completely ignore it. Both solutions can have everlasting scars. The advantages of being a conformist are many and also very potent.

            When it comes to being a non-conformist, you will also take on many advantages. First off, you will be able to create positive change in a society that may greatly need the change you want to promote, thus influencing the people in a positive manner. If I saw that teachers were becoming increasingly more violent with the kids, and I stood up and started speaking my mind about the problem, there is a great chance that I could influence a positive change in the teaching society. Another advantage is that moral values of the minority would still have a chance to live on. Being a Latter Day Saint, more commonly known as a Mormon, I have many values that a majority of society does not uphold. If I went and conformed with them, I would have to greatly decrease the high standings of my standards. This would bring on a negative effect to both me, and other members of the church that I belong to. Non-conformists have a chance of creating massive change in society and are sometimes greatly effective.

            Now, don’t think that each type of person comes with nothing but advantages. Both conformists and non-conformists have their disadvantages. If I were to want to uphold morally degrading practices instead of conforming to the standards set by society, I would be creating a negative change in the community as a whole by putting forth a bad example, thus influencing children, teens and adults of all ages. But at the same time, if I set high standards but decided to lower them to be able to fit in and avoid ridicule, then the higher standards that I used to uphold would be lost and I would just add to the ranks of the people who are having negative effects on society. If the revolutionists were to have conformed with the government that Great Britain had established over us, we would have stayed under their morals and standards, and could have possibly been put under a very long term relationship with torture.

            Over all, it is smart to pick your battles and have the ability to change from one type of person to the other when the situation suits you. When it is time to defend the standards you know to be correct, you must not conform with those that think differently. Stand your ground and fight hard for what you believe in. But on the other had, it is smart to conform when the situation isn’t of great importance such as a mild argument over who ate the last cookie. Please remember to choose your battles wisely and fight only with the appropriate stand. Don’t scream FIRE! when you see a spark, but don’t be naked in a barrage of bullets.