In the initial stages of the freedom
struggle, a well-intentioned person suggested to Gandhiji that to fight the
mighty British empire was akin to banging one’s head against a wall. It would
be a foolish effort and would only cause grief and pain. Gandhiji’s response
was simple, but underlined his character and spirit. He replied, “you are
probably right, but may be this once the wall will break!”
Be it Gandhiji, Washington, Jefferson,
Copernicus or Martin Luther King, they were all trouble makers and
non-conformists. They questioned status quo and were always ready to shake the
system.
We humans are social animals and conforming
to certain societal norms is ingrained in our DNA as a survival trait since our
days as hunters and gatherers. Largely, this helps in an organised and
harmonised community living for the collective benefit of all. So, being a
trouble maker does not mean you don’t learn from your parents, peers or the
society. It also does not mean that you act in a manner that causes physical
harm or impinges upon someone else’s legitimate rights.
Indeed, non-conformity for the sake of
non-conforming is still conformity. If one chooses to question everything, then
one needs to question such questioning? If one rebels against everything
popular only for the sake of rebellion, then one is, in effect, conforming to
our society’s non-conformist trends. In order to truly be a non-conformist is
to live and present yourself without thinking of people’s perception of you. As
Bill Vaughn said, “If there is anything the non-conformist hates
worse than a conformist, it’s another non-conformist who doesn’t conform to the
prevailing standard of non-conformity.”
So, being a rebel just for the sake of being
different is not only meaningless but counter-productive. On the other hand,
blind conformity is equally dangerous, because it means following other people
not because you believe in their ideas or agree with them, but because you want
to fit in instead of standing out.To be a non-conformist in the Gandhian sense,
means to celebrate your uniqueness without allowing society to influence your
decisions and choices. It means to question the present norms and to accept
that which appeals to your conscious and intellect, while challenging those
that are morally repugnant or rationally questionable.
History is replete with examples of great
thinkers who were persecuted and hounded by those in positions of authority for
daring to be different. After all, the world hates those who shake up the
system as there is inherent security in maintaining status quo. Galileo died in
isolation, a broken man for advocating the Copernican view that the Earth was not
the centre of the universe. His views were considered blasphemous as it went at
that time against the doctrine of the Church. Galileo responded by stating
that, “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed
us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use”. Albert
Einstein was right when he said, “Great spirits have always encountered
violent opposition from mediocre minds” or as Mignon McLaughlin said,
“Society honours its living conformists and its dead troublemakers”.
So let me reproduce this ode to the trouble
makers by Rob Siltanen, “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels.
The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things
differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status
quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the
only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push
the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see
genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the
world, are the ones who do.”
Therefore, let us be the ones who refuse to
be satisfied with the way things are and insist upon bringing about positive
changes, even when success is not guaranteed. Maybe it is time to awaken a
little bit of Gandhi in
all of us!! _
