A very strange thought came to my mind today. Every era in time scale is defined by some striking features that took place during that time, something which governed the thinking of maximum number of people, or to use a phrase appropriate in this era , the 'in thing'. As people evolved, their thinking also evolved and so did their concept of 'in thing'.
But as the society grew and modern consciousness emerged , the status quo was challenged and era of being different ushered in. It grew out of the monotony created by conformity and also support by the evolution of human mind which made 'out of the box thinking' possible. So, kids are not punished for asking questions, open minded and modern homes accept love marriages, women can be CEO or world leaders or auto drivers, people can be gay,or can have sickening pale skin or pink hair and yet be admired.Moreover, these things do not appear strange or weird or wrong anymore but fascinating. Though there are still pockets in the world where it might still be considered strange but that's a different story altogether.
The society has become 'broad minded', there is more openness, greater tolerance of ambiguity. Different is appreciated and many a times sought after. Hence everyone is trying to be different, sometimes trying too hard to their own detriment and of others also, like the Norwegian maniac shooter guy.
As the world is truly turning into a global village, and multiculturalism is the new world identity, the individual identity will only be recognised if it is different enough to add a new dimension to the chaos or should I say to the 'new world order'. So, if I am different, I am 'in'.........
In earlier times, and I do not mean some distant past but maybe India 30-40 yrs earlier, conformity was the rule of thumb. Everything and everyone needed to be similar in thoughts, beliefs, presentations etc. There was very little tolerance of ambiguity. People who obeyed the rules of the society where held in highest esteem and those who tried to be different were the deviants. Kids did not question, women did not come out of the house except for fetching water maybe, arrange marriage was the rule, there were typical dress code for everyone decided by the society details of which I dont think I need to go to..
But as the society grew and modern consciousness emerged , the status quo was challenged and era of being different ushered in. It grew out of the monotony created by conformity and also support by the evolution of human mind which made 'out of the box thinking' possible. So, kids are not punished for asking questions, open minded and modern homes accept love marriages, women can be CEO or world leaders or auto drivers, people can be gay,or can have sickening pale skin or pink hair and yet be admired.Moreover, these things do not appear strange or weird or wrong anymore but fascinating. Though there are still pockets in the world where it might still be considered strange but that's a different story altogether.The society has become 'broad minded', there is more openness, greater tolerance of ambiguity. Different is appreciated and many a times sought after. Hence everyone is trying to be different, sometimes trying too hard to their own detriment and of others also, like the Norwegian maniac shooter guy.
As the world is truly turning into a global village, and multiculturalism is the new world identity, the individual identity will only be recognised if it is different enough to add a new dimension to the chaos or should I say to the 'new world order'. So, if I am different, I am 'in'.........
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