July 15, 2026- Willing to be different?

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

We are social creatures, and to a certain extent, conformity is important. We need to all agree to a number of conventions for us to get along. Some of those conventions are codified by law, others are governed by ever-evolving social norms. If we refuse to conform, we are bound to be outcasts. Some of us get way too good at conformity.

When all we ever do is conform, we lose ourselves. We become nondescript cogs in the machinery of humanity, rather than unique, valuable individuals.

Not everyone needs to understand our every thought. We can share certain parts of ourselves with certain people. We can let certain things be ours alone. We can march to the beat of a different drum, but we need to be prepared for the fact that we will be out of step with the rest of the band. When we are, some will not accept it.

Are we willing to be different? Are we willing to be the same? Are we willing to let others dictate which of those we should be and at what time? Are we willing to be different enough to be special, but not so special that we can’t connect with others?

Life isn’t always easy. It’s hard to know when to fit in and when to stand out. We can only learn through trial and error. Let’s just keep trying.