How Conformity Makes You Free

          These days, so much emphasis is placed on celebrating individual uniqueness that conformity itself has become the unique thing.  Amid the clatter of all of us marching to the beat of our own drums, the few coordinated rhythms among us really stand out.  It's easy to think of a conforming person as a blind follower, or someone who us unwilling to think for themselves, but there are reasons why you might sometimes want to opt for uniformity over miscellany even when you could choose to blaze your own trail.  The purpose of this article is to suggest a few.

Conformity Brings Organization

          Have you ever played volleyball or tennis with people who don't really know what they're doing?  I have (not that I'm particularly good at either myself).  Often the games devolve into "jungle ball" sessions where no one cares how many times the ball bounces or how many times you have to hit it to get it over the net.  The idea seems to be that it's more fun just to let the rules slide and do your own thing.

          But one thing I've notice about that kind of game is that they actually aren't any fun.  Sure, the first few minutes are mildly entertaining, but after a while it starts to feel like the same thing over and over and until it finally all just mushes together in an unsightly heap.

          Contemplating this phenomenon, I realized one day what the problem was.  By letting the rules slide, the game had lost the organization that made it fun.  The thrill of watching a buzzer-beating, fade away three taste the bottom of the net comes from the fact that following the clock is a rigid rule that the players and officiators conform to.  If the shot went off seconds after time expired and the refs bent the rules to let it count, wouldn't the moment lose all its magic?  It's the very fact that we know the officiators aren't going to count shots made after time is up that makes it exciting for us when Stephen Curry throws up the ball with the game tied and a half-second remaining.

          By opting for "jungle ball" instead of holding ourselves to the rules, we my friends and I made it easier for us to play, but at the expense of not having to push ourselves to nail that perfect move.  Where rules don't exist, there is chaos, and that's exactly what sports became when we put ourselves above them.  Only by conforming to the rules do we have enough organization to have the experience we were aiming for in the first place. 

Conformity Can Bring Safety

          That idea of chaos versus organization is precisely the purpose of modern traffic laws.  If you think about it, to a certain extent it doesn't matter what specific system is in place for safe driving.  After all, laws varies from country to country, and yet they all appear to be more or less successful at getting people to their destinations safely.  I should add the caveat:  They are all more or less successful when the rules are followed.  Can you imagine a world where no one stopped at red lights?  How could you ever expect to get anywhere in one piece?  Here again, conformity to rules that everybody else follows creates organization that staves of chaos.  In this case, life-threatening chaos.  

          The added dimension here is that there must be agreement and conformity among everyone involved in order for the system to work.  Even one person breaking the mold and choosing to drive on the opposite side of the street sets up serious consequences for themselves and everyone around them.  Yet it isn't the side of the street itself that is inherently dangerous but rather the person's unwillingness to conform for the sake of harmony.

          Not all conformity brings safety, of course.  Doing drugs because your friends are isn't going to lead to good places.  If you choose your sources of authority wisely, however, conformity can be a great protection.  

Conformity Brings Unity

          The idea of conforming for the sake of harmony might rub some of you the wrong way because it sounds like it means being passive and letting everyone walk all over you rather than holding intelligent boundaries.  Think of conforming in this context in the sense of adapting.  It's obvious that being able and willing to adapt your approach based on the other guy's perspective is a positive thing.  People work together most effectively when they understand one another and are willing to adapt or conform to each other so that the effect of their combined efforts are amplified.  

          Rather than being passive, this type of conformity is actually active because it takes effort to see from another person's perspective and work to bring the perceptions, goals, and actions of both sides into correspondence with each other.  The trick to this is finding common desires and being willing to sacrifice less important things for the opportunity to further the most important ends.   This brand of conformity is critical for society because we can accomplish far more together than we ever could on our own.

Conformity Brings Increased Ability And Freedom

          This ability to accomplish more is ultimately why conformity brings freedom.  When the desired outcome is important enough to us to let go of a little of our treasured uniqueness and autonomy for the greater good, that is when we have the greatest power to effect change.

          The modern rocket is  perhaps one of the best examples of this.  It is, essentially, a conformity machine.  Over the centuries, scientists have exerted themselves to learn the demands of the laws of physics and prove their existence.  But more was required in order to actually get a rocket into space.  Not only do the laws of physics have to be known, they must also be obeyed.  What was the space race if not a quest to conform the more effectively to the rules of space travel?  Launching a space mission cannot be done however you wish.  You don't have the artistic license to send your astronauts traipsing around outer space without a helmet.  Neither can you get him there by disregarding rules of force, thrust, movement, and friction because believing in those things just doesn't work for you.  It isn't up to the rocket scientist to make up his personal opinion about what a safe re-entry speed is.  All these things must be learned and conformed to if the space vehicle is to reach its destination.

          But all this conformity and obedience to rules is not actually restrictive. 

Following the laws of time and space have enabled humanity to reach heights that were literally been beyond their ability before.  Our understanding of the universe, our solar system, and even our own planet has exploded past anything Galileo could have dreamed of.  Inventions directly or indirectly resulting from space travel purportedly include LEDs, artificial limbs, freeze dry technology, cordless vacuums, advanced water purification methods, and much more.

          In other words, through space travel, conformity gave us wings.

          But space travel is not the only discipline that requires obedience to rules.  Every facet of life has them.  There are rules for social action, rules for economic growth, rules for savvy business decisions and rules for cutting down your golf score.  There are even rules for art, though many of these are so subtle and nuanced that they are difficult if not impossible to pass on to someone else without extensive exposure,  practice, and mental effort on their part.

          When a group of people choose to follow the same laws, to outsiders they may seem a little brainwashed or gullible.  But if the laws they follow are true laws, from an authoritative source, they will find more freedom than if they had simply picked their own paths.

          In every case, learning and obeying true laws brings freedom and increased power to act.  It enhances rather than derails creativity as the mind struggles for an innovative way to conform to the demands of multiple rules simultaneously.  It allows us to progress both spiritually and secularly.

          Ultimately, we cannot decide not to conform.  We can only choose what we conform to, even if it's to individuality itself.  And what we select to follow has profound consequences for the rest of our lives.  For me, the only law worth writing a blank check to, the one I hope to one day be willing to break all others for, the highest court that supersedes every other deciding authority, is the law of love, which I define as desiring another person's happiness more than your own.   All other rules, regulations, contracts, and agreements may crumble to powder, but love is the one force on which entropy has no power, beyond time, space, reason, and finite existence itself. 

          I'm not just trying to be dramatic here; I know from experience that that's the way it works.  And if you choose to believe me and open up your heart to the light inside yourself, you will too.

          The whole world is in front of you.  It's up to you to decide what to do with it.  You can spend your days in the humdrum of everyday living.  Or.  You can ascend to something higher.

          Which path you choose to follow will determine your very destiny.