Mike Masterson is taking the day off. A version of this column was originally published Nov. 5, 2005.
Ever notice how some among us quickly become uncomfortable with others who live their lives with intention rather than surrendering to wholesale conformity?
Let's see if I can explain what I'm talking about here.
We have created a society in which there are incredible pressures to conform to the behavior and choices of the masses. Yes, there always has been peer pressure to look, think and act alike, especially among kids.
But now it seems as if each person's worthiness is measured on his income level and the size of his toys rather than his convictions and the intent behind them.
Somewhere in our not-too-distant past, the majority apparently decided on this new materialistic yardstick for defining a successful person. The stripes on this new ruler measure instead how well one went along to acquire the material goods that define him as successful.
In other words, it became expected that to get along in any endeavor, you had to go along, period.
Although our nation was founded on the ideals of preserving personal freedom and independent thought, it was as if we decided sometime in the late 20th century that as a nation we were somehow better off looking, thinking and acting pretty much in mindless lockstep. That approach served two purposes.
First, it eliminated the need to think critically for ourselves; everyone would just choose one of two political parties and follow along blindly.
Second, it made life much easier for those who chose to become one of life's many sheeple. People seem to like best those who look and act just like them. The same haircuts, clothes and vehicles seem to make most people feel more comfortable and accepted.
Meanwhile, those who chose to retain their own identities and independence of thought--to live their lives with intention of purpose--became easy to identify.
They were the risk-takers, the ones running through life with scissors, the people easily outraged by small injustices who dared to continually challenge the comfy status quo.
Today we see these folks as the ones who speak their mind against all forms of injustice and inhumanity, little and large. The "wholly conformed" often move to marginalize or even demonize these perceived threats to their welfare because they can make life quite uncomfortable among the herd at large.
Marginalizing and pigeonholing people to deter the unrest they might trigger is not all that difficult to do.
The late journalist, novelist and screenwriter Ben Hecht explained how best to accomplish this in his theory of the scapegoat. The irascible Hecht showed us how easy it was to identify a problem and blame it publicly on one person or group or race or sect that was in the minority.
Once enough sheeple begin to echo the bogus blame message, it soon becomes accepted as truth, and the scapegoating is successful.
This tactic is effective on both grand and small scales.
When I stop to reflect on the topic, it's easy to see that truth is the most significant victim when intention-filled spirits are snuffed out by the desire to conform.
I see scapegoating all the time. So many of us have become uncomfortable with others who exhibit genuine intention in their lives. Intention, you see, can reflect itself on all aspects of a person's life and belief system.
It can even translate to those in business who, for example, might choose not to deal to a significant degree in cash when most others are socking it away under the table.
The fundamental premise behind living an intention-filled existence is that such a person elects to compete only with himself to become a better person and to leave something of substance behind for future generations.
By my definition, embracing intention also means living with a sense of purpose that is largely selfless.
And so as we move onward together in this new millennium, I wonder how many more generations will pass until the majority of the sheeple and their immense conformity finally drive out every last citizen in the herd who chooses intention over consensus and surrender.
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at [email protected].