by Rob Purifoy

Created on: July 31, 2009

In general, conformity is a baseline in which to conduct yourself but it can be varied on a case by case basis. That's the great thing about conformity, it's not always static and it can be adjusted on the fly. Some people like rules so they can always be sure they are in line without having to think about things. Conversely, some like to switch up their actions depending on the situation, venue or nature of a conversation or scenario.

Conformity being defined as acting within prevailing social practices does vary based on all of the above, even down to geographical locations. It may be okay to take a shot gun down the side of the road and shoot beer cans for fun in rural parts of Texas or Arkansas, while in New York city it would be a crime of prodigious proportions. We all tend to conform based on where we are, not only in area but in situation, but again it's not always a static attitude.

As a society we like to push the envelope to see how far we can go sometimes especially if the people reject certain laws. Take for example an open four lane highway in which people are rejecting an overly slow speed limit. Majority rules on the road if 90% of the people are moving at 70 MPH in a 55 MPH posted zone. This is an example of not conforming to a set rule due to what the majority wants. From a capitalistic American and western point of view this is what the country was founded on, we ask questions of why, and we break standards. If we never broke standards and stayed within conformity we would all be one world, one religion and one society with no individual thought, how boring that would be.

If we all conformed worldwide there would be no debate, no thought, no imagination, no individuality and we would basically be zombies going through the motions until we get old and die. Having said all this, conformity does have it's place, it's not always a fun place but we as a society need to have a baseline to know right from wrong. Conforming to most laws is not such a bad thing as we buckle up in our cars, respect our neighbors, don't kill or commit robbery against our fellow people and stay within the acceptable boundaries of societal expectation.

In the end, non conformity is something most of us practice at one time or another and it's best pulled off when the time is right. There is nothing more exhilarating than doing things your mom told you not to do and we do those things now and again. Ride a display bike in the middle of Wal-Mart, throw a football down the isle, run in the rain storm while lightning is striking, take a risk and be creative. We are humans and have the need and want for stimuli, this is what makes us born non conformists, we just have to curb our enthusiasm when the time is not right to take flight. Most of us have a non conformist in us, it's the child-like quality that comes out now and again that makes us do things just a bit outside of average. It's what creates things, makes people smile, maybe even makes you laugh at yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Learn more about this author, Rob Purifoy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.