Conformity is a pervasive social phenomenon. It is good and bad.
Whereas, "driving on the conventionally-approved side of the road may be seen as beneficial conformity," an unquestioning allegiance or blind faith can hamper reason, and often leads to cult-like behaviour.
Conformity to truth and fact, as with science, or "God's Truth," as with religion, are the common ideals. People conform out of a need for security within a group, but that can also lead to groupthink: "a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics, which ignores realistic appraisal of other courses of action."
Ultimately, our individual free will is conformed to a degree in a society, because unity has benefits. However, the perils of ignorance are multiplied in the group. Just as with the individual, reason must guide the group, or it too is destined to fail.
"Whats wrong with driving on the wrong side of the road. Nothing wrong in believing in God. To bad you don’t remember your youth. Wait till you are on your death bed and see who you call out to."Of course people may believe what they like; there's no harm in fantasy, when it's not confused with reality. I've always been skeptical of religion, already as a child, but especially later, as my appreciation for science grew, it became clear that I could not accept conformity to a belief or faith in an invented "God's Truth." My conformity to truth and fact, supported by evidence, has always far outweighed the ever-present pressure of religious social conformity, and it will until my last day on this planet.
From the fossils of our single-celled, 4-billion-year-old ancestors to the diversity of life and human civilization we know today, this seemingly rare experiment in our ever-expanding universe, raises still more questions for me than can be answered with fables in a book. I'll never be satisfied with wonder alone, as I look back with profound respect and admiration for the mathematicians, scientists, engineers and builders who've inched us ever closer to leaving this resource-limited planet.
The window of opportunity is closing as we waste precious resources on petty endeavours, but if we can work together, in conformity to truth and fact, our species may endure. If not: ""this is the way the world ends, Michael, not with a bang but with a whimper."
