.::oDrew
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Individuality.
I'm a firm believer in the concept of individuality; we are each our own person, and it is my own responsibility to define who I am. Without individuality, we are nothing more than hollow reflections of society and its influence. And sure, everybody is influenced by society in some regard. The question is not, "will society try to persuade me to act or think a certain way," because it most certainly will. No, the real question is how we choose to respond to these persuasions.
Personally, I believe that society is far too overzealous in its attempts to make us act in a certain way. Now, some of the ways society influences us are undeniably beneficial; good manners, solid morals, and so on - everything that makes us "upstanding members of society" - are all results of positive societal pressure. Adjusting our personalities to fit these particular aspects of the social mold is good for us, it makes us better people.
However, when society moves beyond instilling positive, abstract principles and begins dictating material, physical standards - standards of fashion, finance, et cetera - the role of society becomes clouded. Instead of simply instructing us on how to become better citizens, society attempts to extend its influence to ultimatums based on purely material ideas: either dress this way, talk this way, act this way, and think this way, or become a rejected outcast.
Clearly, this is wrong. Our physical appearances should not reflect the ideas that an outside presence has forced on us, but rather, our internal ideas, beliefs, and principles. If I feel that it is more important to be warm than look good, I should have every right to express that belief through what I wear, without being rediculed for it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if I choose to assimilate myself to societal trends, I am essentially expressing the belief that I can't, won't, or don't think for myself, and would rather allow society to think for me.
But if we allow something or someone besides ourselves to define who we are, who are we? What do we believe in?
What are we living for?
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