Published February 4, 2024
by Andy Berges
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In Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" essay he asserts that, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.”
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In other words, society values conformity and expects people to comply with a specific set of standards and to think a specific way. Conversely, society deems it unacceptable when people choose to be self-reliant and to think for themselves.
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At a very young age we were all conditioned by our parents, teachers, and our peers to conform. Due to our naivety and immaturity, we ignorantly abided to behave and think in a manner enforced by others.
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By the time we reached adolescence, the social pressure we had faced to conform with group norms grew stronger and a wide variety of tactics were implemented to coax us to conform. This included criticizing, bullying, and shaming us.
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Prior to the 21st century, conformity was primarily enforced by people within one’s environment and community. However, in today’s world social networks are the preferred means since they easily allow conformists throughout the entire world to bully and ostracize those who choose to be self-reliant.
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While it is easy to comprehend why all of us conformed in one way or another during our youth, we eventually reach an age of maturity when we become wise enough to realize that we must cease allowing anyone to mold us into someone we are not.
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God did not create any of us to live a life of conformity. As Romans 12:2 declares, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
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Meaning in one’s life is established by pursuing one’s God-given calling, so choose not to be included among the billions of people who have lived lives devoid of meaning due to caving into the pressure of conformists.
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Instead, believe in yourself and choose to live genuinely. Resist conforming and masquerading through life as an impostor while always keeping in mind what Emerson also once said…
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“Insist on yourself; never imitate. To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”