Twelve Apostles

In a world of floral buttons ups, over the top socks and “side cut” hairstyles, how could anyone be expected to stand out? Society tells us to be our own person. Even as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints we are constantly taught that we are each INDIVIDUAL spirit children of our Heavenly Father with INDIVIDUAL talents and attributes. However, we don’t seem to be practicing what we preach. You can’t walk half a Provo-city block without running into another one of these Stance sock wearing superstars (I believe the local term is “Provo All-stars”). But honestly who can blame them? Who wouldn’t want to wear a pair of bright green and yellow mid-calf socks with cacti and lizards on them? My point is, what once was cool
Which brings us to the underlining question I wish to bring to your attention, why is individuality so important? Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated in October of 2013 that, “Heavenly Father has made each of us unique. No two of us have exactly the same experiences”.That's doctrine folks, but if that doesn’t quite do it for you, Mary N. Cook gave us this gem in January 2014, “Have you ever felt lonely? Do you notice those who are lonely, living in a black-and-white world? Young women (we could include BYU students here), I’ve watched as you bring your UNIQUE color into the lives of others with your smiles, your kind words, or a note of encouragement.” So maybe we have it all wrong? The way to bring “color” into an otherwise “black-and-white” world isn’t by wearing even brighter green socks but, by the simple, positive acknowledgment of our fellow
The problem lies much deeper than how we wear our shirts, how many different colors we can somehow put on one pair of socks, or even the trendy hairstyles. The underlying problem I continue to see is that our individuality as a society seems to be at an all time low. What can we do as individuals to combat the constant attacks on our individuality? I think the answer lies in having confidence. We can’t let our peers determine what is “in” and what is “out”. Who has the right to tell me that my growing collection of plain colored Hanes t-shirts isn’t cool? Seneca, a Spanish-born Roman statesman and philosopher may have put it best, “A happy life is one which is in accordance with its own nature.” In today's vernacular, if we want to be happy, let's just do