"A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In order to be a perfect member of a flock of sheep, one has to be foremost, a sheep."
- Albert Einstein

If we give it any Thought, we will realize that, from a very early age, the first thing our family, teachers, and society train us to do is to conform.

It is very easy to be tricked and manipulated into conforming to situations that are not in harmony with our basic nature. This is accomplished by means of subtle Intimidations and "guilt trips" imposed upon us by adults, teachers, "friends", co-workers, and special interests who are constantly bludgeoning us with false expectations and opinions of what we are "supposed to be" and what we are "supposed to do".

These very discomforting false presumptions and expectations, imposed upon us by others, become so ingrained within us that many of us carry these Intimidations and guilt trips with us for our entire lives.

This causes us to feel very uncomfortable and Intimidated when we see errors with, and feel it is necessary to defy, the expectations and demands imposed upon us by the numerous factions of society.

These Intimidations and guilt trips are also meant to serve another purpose. They confer upon us guilt, fear, and discomfort when we become cornered into the position of possibly "hurting someone's feelings", or some groups feelings, when it becomes necessary for us to stand up for whatever it is that is right for us; regardless of how much these persons or factions are abusing and using us.

And because of these feelings of guilt and intimidation, a great many of us also sadly and reluctantly accept mental persecutions from others for fear of "not fitting in" and not wanting to "hurt someone's feelings".

So from very early in our life, and mostly in very subtle ways, we are being subliminally trained to conform. For if we do not conform, we face the threat of being friendless and of not "fitting in" to the different regimented, and controlled, aspects of society.

However, the truth is that this unreasonable fear, imposed upon us not only at a very early age but throughout life as well, of not "fitting in" eventually becomes a yoke around our necks that shackles many of us throughout of lives.

Whether its a neighborhood group or a school, church, or political organization that we wish to join, the first thing we are informed of is that we must conform to the rules, policies, and whims of that group if we wish to be accepted into, and remain in good standing, in that group.

And, although it is true that we have the option of choosing which groups we wish to join, the fact is that once we join any particular group, we are required to conform to their rules and whims or wefind ourselves being either expelled, gossiped about, or ignored by the group. And it is at this point that we face a personal decision of either giving in and conforming to this particular group or leaving it.

We find this pattern of conformity facing us as we travel through life. For whether we wish to join a fraternity, sorority, trade organization, religious group, or political faction, if we disagree with any of the rules or whims of these groups we find ourselves having to choose whether to conform or leave.

The same rules hold True within our family structure: either we conform to the rules and expectations that our family imposes upon us, or we choose to leave.

We have all been faced with these types situations throughout our lives. And, for the most part, we find ourselves remaining within some groups and leaving others.

However, for the true conformist, things are quite different.

The true conformist actually believes that it is critical that he, or she, must "fit in" and accept a given role in either a group or in society. Therefore the true conformist is forever compromising their values and discarding their personal sovereignty for the sole purpose of being accepted into a mob; for groups and society are,
in fact, mobs.

With these thoughts in mind, let us remind ourselves to be ever vigilant of performing any action, or making any promise, based solely upon Intimidation, guilt, or the need to "fit in".

So, too, should we be extremely cautious of making any promise or commitment based upon any of the following: the expectations of others; the fear of being ridiculed or gossiped about; or the "guilt" of not wanting to "hurt the feelings of others".

For these are all subtle baited traps which are designed to strip us of our sovereignty and lure us into the darkened dungeons of conformity.

By Joseph Panek

http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2011/06/conformity-and-conformist.html