Conformists and Non-conformists

Quite a lot of people believe that in this world there"rebellion" without a real cause, a real objective -
are conformists, a.k.a. "mindless sheep", the peoplethey just want to shock others, to be noticed. They
who do things because "that's what everyone does"try to affirm their identity by opposing whatever
- and, conversely, don't do something becausethey see around them - no matter if whatever they
"nobody else is doing it". People also believe thatsee is right or wrong.
there are non-conformists, who supposedly are theA "non-conformist" - or, rather, an individualist - does,
opposite of the above. So far, so good.instead, what he likes, what he believes is right, what
But a lot of people make a big mistake here - theyhe wants. If he does something completely unique,
believe that non-conformists are people who arehe doesn't care; if he does something everyone else
intentionally different, people who do somethingdoes, he doesn't care. What others do is up to them,
because others don't, and don't do somethingbut he chooses for himself.
because others do. In other words, people whoFor instance, I like a music genre that is completely
consciously try to be "different".unfashionable, that almost no friend of mine likes,
And that's not "non-conformism" at all.that isn'e ever heard on the radio. Yet I love
Trying to be different is really the same as trying tochocolate, which most people also love. Do I stop
be the same - it's living in function of others. It'slistening to heavy metal to "fit in"? No. Do I stop
having no personality, no opinions, no tastes, no self.eating chocolate to be different, to "separate
What others do is the basis of what you do,myself"? Nope, that would be quite stupid. :) Both are
whether you copy it or oppose it.my tastes - whether others share them or not didn't,
Many teenagers (but it's not limited to them) err inand doesn't matter at all.
this way - one could call it their "rebel phase", but it's