Individuality Vs Conformity Essay - 1605 Words

There is a time in every mans education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion.† As human beings, we always encounter the critical decision in our daily lives of whether to pursue individuality or conformity in various situations. Although I believe that individuality is certainly more powerful than conformity, I noticed that many ignore the necessity of harmony between individualism and conformity. If individuality is absolutely more powerful to the point that we should never accept conformity, then should we avoid conforming to the laws of our country and instead commit multiple crimes simply because we want to? On the other†¦show more content†¦He suggests that we focus more on individual progress instead of societal progress. Many could interpret his view as an absolute separation of the individual from the rest of the world. I, on the other hand, contend t hat he simply believed that we should not allow society to overbear on us and drew a line between appreciating solitude and pursuing absolute aloneness. With a weak individuality, conformity becomes oppression. We must believe in our own ideas because we are unique. We cannot feel fulfilled or successful in our lives if we live the life of someone else. Emerson demonstrated a skillful use of language and rhetoric to communicate his point. He conveys that the main times in which we should act as individualists are when we are expressing ourselves in â€Å"communities of opinion,† when the attitudes or expectations of others limit our potential, when fearing a demonstration of inconsistency in front of others, and when the line between relishing solitude and living as a social hermit is clear. In his essay, Emerson stated, Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. 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