There is a lot to be said for the concept of individuality. We have long celebrated the rugged individual, the loner, the stand-out, the rebel. There seems to be something attractive about a person who can remain what and who they are, even when under constant attack from "the world" and the court of "they" which are always on hand to apply pressure. Your parents told you to be one thing, your friends another, and now your college professors, boss, and co-workers give you more "guidance." It seems that these days, everyone from your closest friends to pundits in the media have an idea of who you should be.
The real question, however, is, "Do YOU know who you are? Do YOU know who you should be?"
For some reason there is a tendency for the masses to go along with the masses. Call it group think, the madness of crowds, or laziness.
Going along is the coward's way out, however. Standing firm for what one believes in, for who one is, and for those one loves is the essence of courage; it's the character to be a character!
Think about it: the most interesting characters in a novel are always those who are not afraid to be themselves, who are a little different, who stand apart as more authentic than the rest. We may marvel at their foibles, laugh at their idiosyncracies, and maybe even judge them, but we always, deep down, admire them. I believe the reason for this is that, as Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." They are stuck inside a shell of a life that spends too much of its time seeking to please others and not enough following their calling; their true authentic purpose. But when we see someone with the character and courage to be their own person, lead by their own inner passion, following the calling given them by their Maker, we understand that we are witnessing greatness, and we long for it ourselves!
Incredibly, it is only a decision. A simple choice to become an individual, to think for yourself, to dare to be who you were created to be! As Charles Mackay wrote, "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
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