by Marcus Emery

Created on: April 21, 2009

NOT I

The individual who sacrifices his individual mores to conform to his neighbors' lifestyle is lessening the quality of his life. "We are all in this together" is the mantra of the mass. Pop culture must reign in Everyman's heart and mind. The person who thinks for himself, searches for Truth;can expect to hear "Don't get out much, do you?" on a regular basis. So be it. While the groupthinkers are content with froth, he is concerned with pith.

The shibboleths of the present don't necessarily enamor the eyes and mind of the non-conformist. He knows that many of the highly successful cyberspace megabuckers are not college grads. He knows that the public education system is more driven by the sociologists than the learning purists. He remembers that grammar school in his day (not so very long ago) was intent on teaching scholars how to think for themselves. Yes, they were given a grade on "Deportment". That meant manners and obedience. He sees that the sociopathic personality is far too often the product of our schools and colleges. And he has the radical notion that the plethora of "colleges" don't begin to offer the academic content of so-called "Jerkwater U's" of mid-20th Century America. The star of Education, so called rides high above a mountain of social costs, while misguiding those who travel through life by its light.

Oh, he doesn't have a better alternative, does he?! As a matter of fact he does. Bricks and mortar, drugs and schoolground turf fights, strip searches and campus policing , massacres; these are all part of the highly prized "socialization" of our children. The non-conformist is an advocate of change. He realizes that the system-gone-wrong demeans generation after generation of students and families. He has a few suggestions that would return the dignity of the individual, make society self-respecting, and save financial costs.

Public libraries and computer technology provide both a universe of information and the means to bring it into every home in the land. The bricks and mortar can be reduced to a few administrative buildings. The necessary computers for each student can be bought and maintained by the school district, and the parents can know where their children are, share their daily lives, as was usual before Education became dominant over family life. By-bye drug culture breeding ground, forget the parent-teacher competition for the children's minds. Blackboard jungles are not the answer. What about the two parent work situation? The non-conformist thinks that problem could be worked out. School hours would be the family responsibility, not dictated by authorities. He thinks the outcome would be uplifting to all concerned, even society-at- large.

Does being a non-conformist mean that one lives by no standards at all? Not really; one can conform to the standards of his religious understanding, to the best of his ability. But to conform to the nonsense of the moment, at a social and monetary cost that is both damaging and unnecessary is irresponsible. Non-conformists can act responsibly. Radical, no?

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