Society tries to place many rules and restrictions on us as individuals, as to what is

acceptable and what is not. I believe that conformity encourages mediocrity and we must

decide for ourselves whether to conform to such a social decorum. We are taught as soon

as we are old enough to grasp the idea, that it is unacceptable to be unique and that we

should avoid being different. At some point, however, we must decide within ourselves

whether to spend our lives trying to be like everyone else because society says we should,

or living each day true to ourselves. Our strength as a person is proven through what we

decide. E.E. Cummings once said, "To be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing

its best night and day to make you like everyone else- means to fight the hardest battle

which any human being can fight, and can never stop fighting." (5) Although it is not

always an easy choice, the benefits of being true to ourselves greatly outweigh any

negative aspects of choosing that path.

One of the most obvious advantages of being true to ourselves is that people will

see us, perhaps for the first time. People will see what we are rea

We are taught from a young age that it is undesirable to be unique. We are taught

Society teaches us to conform by not thinking for ourselves. We are told simply to

in performance, status quo maintenance, mistrust of your fellow worker and predatory

"To be great is to be misunderstood" (5) Ralph Waldo Emerson stated in Self-

ourselves that even we did not realize. We all have given talents, some of which we may

Many times one strong voice can make the difference. Mahatma Gandhi said, "A 'No'

the alternatives, we have less options open, less opportunities to better ourselves. When

Some common words found in the essay are:
Solomon Asch, EE Cummings, Merrill Lynch, Mahatma Gandhi, , William Shakespeare, Self- Reliance, Fennimore Cooper, Em Griffin, Waldo Emerson, decide ourselves, true ourselves, people afraid, lose potential, quit questioning, risk misunderstood, person person, courage stand, attention themselves, encourages mediocrity,
Approximate Word count = 1277
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)