Conformity is easy.
We need only to do what we are told in order to get ahead.
Conformity is easy, that is, up until the moment that we realize that conformity is also a competition.
Once we come to this realization, we quickly begin to understand that we are in trouble.
We are in trouble if we lose because we are easily replaced by others who are better at conforming than we are.
We are in even more trouble if we win, however.
Why?
The only way to win the conformity competition is to have fewer opinions, to have fewer ideas, and to have less of an identity than our fellow competitors.
Winning at the conformity competition means losing ourselves, our hopes, and our dreams.
But, the fact that we had these to begin with means we are at a disadvantage.
Others who did not are already ahead of us and it will probably be easier for them the whole way through.
So what are we to do?
Do we try to win at a competition that requires us to lose who we are?
Or, do we lose what we have by being beat out by others who are willing to sacrifice more than we are in order to race to the bottom?
Neither of these options seems ideal.
Perhaps we feel like we need something else, something different, or something better, but no one is going to give it to us, at least not unless we are willing to play the conformity game to get it.
But, that puts us right back to where we started.
We have to do something.
We have to make something.
We have to lead the way.