Does Society Require Conformity

Rushi Pandya
English III Honors
Ms. Cameron
9 January 2007
Must We Conform?
Not Only does Society not require conformity, it goes as far as to encourage individualism. Many instances provide proof that this statement is a reality. Throughout history, science, our modern world, etc. we see examples of distinctiveness benefiting the individual. How else do unique personas such as Michael Jackson and Paris Hilton thrive in our world? Yet even if individualism does not thrive in fortune or fame, it is now accepted as a part of our society.
People who don't conform to society in this world can go onto do great things. Multi-Billionaire Bill Gates dropped out of the prestigious Harvard University on the verge of graduating. Though society preaches that education is quite important, Gates proved that one does not need to conform to society. Toady, Bill Gates is quite possibly the richest man in the world, and how could that be possible? It is possible because Gates did not give in to the pressures of society and, as a matter of fact, went against society.
Speaking of another individual who did not fear or give into the pressures of society, Jesus Christ is perhaps the greatest example of individualism thriving. According to the Bible, and Christianity as a whole,
Jesus was a great for sacrificing himself for humans. Christ did not conform to society, yet today millions of people believe in Christianity, and lead better lives because of their faith. In science, one should never conform to the general beliefs, because science is about discovering and learning new things. Galileo Galiei, the great Italian astronomer, was the first to state that the sun was the center of the galaxy, not the earth, as was believed at the time of his life. Although and shunned and threatened by the Roman Catholic Church at that time, Galileo did not waver in his beliefs. As a result of his nonconformity, he is known to have contributed one of the most important scientific facts in history. Individualism does not only pertain to history or overly successful people; it reflects in our society today. In our world today there are many groups that do not fit into our general reflection of society. Case in point, gay men and women are now widely accepted in our society. These people do not conform to society's unwritten mandate of a relationship between a man and a woman; yet gays are not overly discriminated against in our modern world. There are gay pride parades and an ongoing battle for gay marriage, and although these are hot button topics in our society, we do not frown down upon them as a society, not at least as a whole. As a high school student, it is difficult to define conformity within the school.
There are so many individual groups of students, it is difficult to conclude upon what is the mandate that we as a high school society should conform to. Many different groups of people exist within a high school and they can coexist, while being the individual that they wish to be. From clothing, to grades, to culture, many factors can separate students from society, or student body, and these students can be the individual they wish to be without having to conform to other students or society as a whole. Ironically, these individuals usually become trend setters, turning their individualism into conformity for
others. The conformity to society is not required, in part because of the acceptance of differences among people in today's world. People accept that humans are all different, and expecting all to conform to the general convictions of society is wrong, and in many ways may be holding our race back. There are also many individuals that have succeeded in challenging the mandates of society, such as Bill Gates, Galileo, Jesus Christ, and many more. As a result of their individualism they have become successful. This leads us to believe that those who do not restrict themselves to the walls of conformant are those that emerge from our society as the true individuals and leaders.