| "I
wanna be just like you, I wanna walk like you, talk like you do." Proving
that the sagest of wisdom can come from the most atypical of locales,
this phrase comes our way from Disney's classic movie, "The Jungle Book."
In the movie it is used by the lovable bear Baloo, sung to his pal Mowgli
to prove that he, too, can learn to be more human. And while it works
wonderfully within the context of the film, this simple utterance can
be applied in a much broader and modern sense in today's society. This
simple string of words spoken more than 30 years ago by an animated bear
could be the anthem for modern societyÑthe overriding thought and guideline
for effective living. Forget eating healthy, exercising, and caring about
the feelings of others. The real key to happiness these days is if you
are just like everyone else. Think about itÑeveryone you see on TV, be
it on talk shows or sitcoms, is essentially complaining about (or being
complained about) how different they are from everyone else. They are
too fat, too short, too sexual, too flamboyant, too soft-spoken, etc.
You never hear them say how glad they are to have a large behind or waistline,
going completely against the retro-notion that Ôbigger is better." They
never rejoice over having the ability to literally look up to everyone
else around them due to their diminutive stature. And they certainly do
not compliment themselves on being a pushoverÑeveryone's punching bag
or rag doll. The one thing these people, or those around them, want is
to be just like everyone else. These unique differences, the things that
set them apart from the world around them and make them distinguishable,
are all-too-often sought to be eradicated. That is because our society
stresses conformity over everything else. Look at the ads that populate
our airwavesÑthey are endlessly telling us to dress a certain way, listen
to a certain type of music, and eat a certain way. The admen on Madison
Ave. become wary when people think for themselves and run against the
grain. The people who still think denim is cool, who think real music
stopped being made the day Menudo broke up, and who think cheeseburgers
and TV dinners are part of every balanced meal make the powers that be
uneasy. These societal rebels do not care whether Tommy's new winter line
has come out, whether the Backstreet Boys have released a new disc, or
whether a new type of fat has been discovered that is sure to ruin their
lives and diets if they don't change their eating habits. |
These people are the needles in society's haystack due to their scarcity,
but also in its spine due to the pain they inflict on the average human
being. How can these people not be affected by what other people say about
them? How can they not care that they are so different, and why are they
so happy about it? Why don't they change? Why should they? Why are so
many people so eager to be alike? What ever happened to reviling in your
differences? There used to be a school of thought that said, "that which
sets you apart makes you special--makes you interesting." What happened
to these people? They're probably tied up in the back room of an Abercrombie
and Fitch store being forced to learn about how Ôcool' cargo pants, Britney
Spears, and falafel are. With these people and their influence seemingly
going the way of the dinosaurs, individuality has become a lost art in
today's world; an unappreciated relic from a time long since forgotten.
Nowadays people only pay attention to those things that they can identify
withÑthe things that jive with their everyday way of living or thinking.
They don't even bother listening to the things that are different or foreign
to themÑit causes too much discomfort and encourages critical thinking
(something to be avoided at all costs these days, it seems). And so rather
than venerate variances and idolize the individual, we stifle singularities
and extol the Everyman. In essence, we've become a society of BaloosÑovereager
to strip away any and all distinguishing characteristics just so we can
become more like our fellow man. Instead of singing the virtues of being
different and uniqueÑtooting one's horn, so to speakÑwe act just like
the animated bear and croon about conformity and our lust to be alike.
So with the upcoming New Year and its inherently clean slate, we should
work on getting reacquainted with our individuality. We should realize
that the people that run against the current societally imposed grain
shouldn't feel bad for being unique, but maybe appreciated for being uncommonÑtrue
diamonds in the rough. Above all else, though, we should understand that
to dread people's differences and fear their finer points might be the
largest folly of them all; it might make us no better than a simple cartoon
animal. |