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Along Life’s Way
Conformity and Uniqueness
By Lois E. Wilson
In the 1960’s many campuses were targeted by groups protesting the
Vietnam War. The university where I was teaching closed briefly because
of the threats and malicious acts at other schools across the country.
It seemed some students followed lockstep off-campus leaders who
professed to be independent; however their actions proved otherwise.
They were conforming to the group. During this time period, I penned
the verse below:
CONFORMITY
Cars, clothes, clubs alike.
Habits, houses, shrubs alike.
Bills alike,
Ills alike,
Patios and grills alike—
Alike,
alike, alike.
Pets, politics, pay alike.
Vacations and play alike.
Talk alike,
Walk alike,
Criticize and squawk alike—
Alike,
alike, alike.
Kids, camps, codes alike.
Minds, mates, modes alike.
Drink alike,
Think alike,
Living on the brink alike—
Alike,
alike, alike.
Styles, status, schemes alike.
Days, diets, dreams alike.
Buy alike,
Comply alike,
Dead before they die alike--¬
Alike,
alike, alike.
Recently we have seen individuals yield to a mob’s agenda. It’s like
when we were children and changed our attributes and maybe even our
appearance to please the bullies, We give up our independence. Hermann
Hesse wrote: “Every man is more than just himself; he also represents
the unique, the very special and always significant point at which the
world’s phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again.”
Events in the news often inspire my verse: “Do as I say and do as I
do—then there will be unity—me and you.” Don’t be dead before you
die—you have much to offer; embrace your uniqueness and share it with
the world.
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