Toe the line. Don’t resist. Learn to fit in. Don’t stand out.
I’ve always hated conformism. Just because everybody else is doing something doesn’t mean you have to do it too. You can take the road less traveled if you think it’s the right one. It doesn’t matter what they say about you or how they judge you or whether or not their eyes are boring a hole into your back, as long as you know that you’re doing the right thing.
Because we weren’t meant to pander to the lowest common denominator, we were meant to seek the pleasure the Most High. And if He’s with you, what does it matter if nobody else is?
Allah says, “If Allah helps you, none can overcome you. And if He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you?” (Al-Qur’an 3:160)
You can choose to resist peer pressure and defy the norm. If you can see that something wrong is going on, and it’s eating away at you from the inside, say something. If you have an opinion that’s contrary to what you’re being taught, share it. It’s okay to think differently. It’s okay to think.
Don’t let your fears overpower your conscience, your originality or your desire to make a change. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? They’ll laugh, or snort, or chuck you out of the circle. Better that than caving in.
Of course it takes courage. No wonder the Messenger (pbuh) told us that the best form of jihad is to speak a true word in front of a tyrant ruler. (Musnad Ahmad: 18449) Speaking up — for yourself, for somebody who cannot defend themselves, for your unpopular opinion — is a character-building experience.
Growing up with a speech impediment, I found it strangely redemptive to speak out in defense of an argument I held, especially in the classroom. It meant that I had one-upped my lingering fear of what the other kids would think of the way I talked. And there’s a special kind of joy in triumphing your own fears.
The invisible chains with which we shackle ourselves will always hold us back unless we’re willing to break free. Of our fears, of social expectation, of the status quo.
Go with the flow? Nah. Someone shrewdly pointed out to me a long time ago — only dead fish go with the flow.
annaxmalina
titsay