The Virtue of Nonconformity
I am often surprised that modern life is so difficult for the nonconformist.
The true nonconformist is not a person who joins others in their moralistic tirades, or indulges the popular narrative of the time — no, the true nonconformist is someone who, irrespective of the popular norms and trends, will stick to their authentic self. Conformity in its essence is something which is convenient, something which offers a protection of the majority. Ultimately, I wish to argue that this protection is superficial, and doesn’t replace the need people have for their own ideas, their own identity.
The primary symptom of the conformity disease is that it encourages people to borrow their identity from existing institutions and ideologies, without regard for their own mind. We have all the capabilities in the world for constructing a unique perspective — the problem is when institutions, such as the government, the school system, the family, and organized religion, all seek to forcibly construct a person along predetermined lines. Another problem is that we are being coerced into assuming certain moral or political beliefs, when many issues require nuance and a variety of answers. To-wit, conformity breeds more of the same, and then pits many different kinds of conformists against each other. What truth is left in the aftermath? Surely, there can be no progress in the world if everyone is expected to believe similar things. I would say that all conformity (to anything) is harmful.
This idea that Emerson mentions, of the world whipping us with its displeasure, comes about because nonconformists threaten the existing social order. The open-minded, nonjudgmental musings of a nonconformist make it difficult for people who like to reinforce their biases. Surely, any body of ideas that belongs to a group will suffer from this issue, wherein some dominant ideology will be in conflict with the people who dislike it. This reduces the battle of ideas to a power struggle between groups, whereas a true nonconformist may entertain the ideas of either side and say “well, that’s nice, but I’m not interested in being part of that”. We must be able to separate ourselves from the existing structures if we are to understand a genuine truth.
I am troubled when I see tribal debates between partisan people, because it is essentially two groups of conformists whipping each other with their displeasure. It doesn’t matter what’s being argued, so long as those people have already made up their mind about what’s true and false. A nonconformist understands the popular and unpopular narratives, and should in fact cling to neither of them. For it is not the obligation of a person to always cling to or deviate from the existing opinions, but rather to question them and make sense of them in a meaningful, self-evident way. It is the fear of ostracism and a loss of social status that drives a lot of conformity, but one can only imagine what happens when they stop caring about these things. If only people weren’t so judgmental and pushy about their ideas.
Every system of belief has flaws within it, particularly if it is trying to get at some conception of truth. This is why, in my opinion, the true nonconformist is able to analyze them and figure out the best and worst premises in each system. They are impartial, and not personally invested in any set of ideas. A lot of discussion seems to revolve around one side being wrong and the other being right, when we should instead focus on the arguments being made. Certainly, it is harder to be impartial when the society is very dogmatic and politically minded, but that is merely another challenge. This is why we should be philosophers, for that is the only way to understand what is potentially right and wrong. I support nonconformists in their quest to undermine the existing beliefs, and I hope they will be able to change more minds for the better. Trends in society will always change, but the truth is immutable and constant. That is the most important thing.
Please, for the love of God, do not whip others with your displeasure.
Thank you.
