People, Conformity is NOT Maturity!

[James Comey]

Conformity is when people decide to accept things the way they are, accept social norms and become obedient to higher authorities. While maturity is more harder to define, this cartoon perfectly nails it:
http://cdn-www.i-am-bored.com/media/whereareyouiab.jpg

A lot of people claim school teaches maturity, but it does the exact opposite! The thing it really is trying to teach is conformity, but they disguise it under the word "maturity".

Remember, you can be a rebel and be mature. You don't have to be conformed to be mature.

[Gwedin]

My signature.

[brainiac3397]

Epic cartoon.

Though its problematic when your on the top and your parents are on bottom(or in between).

[154bmag]

"I don't wanna waste my time, and become another victim of conformity" --Sum 41

[Miller0700]

I think your comic enforced the fact that conformity is inevitable. Though you (and most cynical and socially awkward internet dwellers) stray and shun mainstream conformity, you're just falling into another one. People conform to hating conformity, and there's those who hate those who hate mainstream conformity and so on. It's an endless cycle.

[brainiac3397]

(11-30-2013 09:27 AM)Miller0700 Wrote:  I think your comic enforced the fact that conformity is inevitable. Though you (and most cynical and socially awkward internet dwellers) stray and shun mainstream conformity, you're just falling into another one. People conform to hating conformity, and there's those who hate those who hate mainstream conformity and so on. It's an endless cycle.

If you noticed, they're all the same species like us as humans. Some things we just don't have control of(unless you believe in reincarnation. Then you might return as a goat or something)

[xcriteria]

I shared this to the G+ Conversation community:

https://plus.google.com/1059086549590682...LsE26SsHrQ

Epic cartoon, indeed.

And brainiac, good question. What do you do?

[brainiac3397]

"What do you do?"?

The parents thing or the goat reincarnation?

(I just minimize the impact by skirting certain issues or preparing things in a way before hand, with my supa planning skills, to handle it. But when a issue arises unexpectedly, it usually leads to an arguement and tension with my mother. My father still respects anothers opinion so there is no need to argue but his behaviors do irk me sometimes and leave me in problematic situations when I rely on him)

[xcriteria]

(11-30-2013 09:27 AM)Miller0700 Wrote:  I think your comic enforced the fact that conformity is inevitable. Though you (and most cynical and socially awkward internet dwellers) stray and shun mainstream conformity, you're just falling into another one. People conform to hating conformity, and there's those who hate those who hate mainstream conformity and so on. It's an endless cycle.

I don't think it has to be an endless cycle. The point of the image is that there's a journey to undertake, and a way out. Being stuck in shunning conformity, in an "angry young man" trope, has its limits, but it's possible to move beyond that.

What is maturity beyond conformity? How can it be lived, modeled, and learned by more people?

Isn't that part of what education in the modern world needs to be about?

[xcriteria]

(12-01-2013 04:42 PM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  "What do you do?"?

The parents thing or the goat reincarnation?

The parents thing:

(11-28-2013 12:23 PM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  Epic cartoon.

Though its problematic when your on the top and your parents are on bottom(or in between).

[brainiac3397]

Stuck it into the parantheses, though my father is more like having been on top but slid somewhat into the middle. Not so low, but lower than his position before.

[James Comey]

I have to admit, it's also hard when most of your peers at school are also at the bottom.

[brainiac3397]

Can we roll boulders down upon them? We can blame gravity later if accused.

[xcriteria]

(12-01-2013 05:13 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  I have to admit, it's also hard when most of your peers at school are also at the bottom.

Put yourself in the role of teachers or parents, or even rulers. What do you do?

(12-01-2013 05:43 PM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  Can we roll boulders down upon them? We can blame gravity later if accused.

We're no longer in Old Testament times... so no, come up with a better approach, or else!

[brainiac3397]

So we roll plasma TV and Iphones instead?

Itd be like a blessing till they realize gravity makes it lethal.

[xcriteria]

(12-01-2013 06:02 PM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  So we roll plasma TV and Iphones instead?

Itd be like a blessing till they realize gravity makes it lethal.

Heh, that reminds me of this clip:



Watch on YouTube

Iphones, gravity, and all that.

Any more thoughts on what to do?

[Ky]

^ Heads up - I'm about to unleash my rage



FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS ARE STILL PROBLEMS

Lol, jk. I've seen that video before, and I think it's hilarious. Still, it's an oversimplification; the whining of the first world is not completely meaningless. Indeed, it could be an indicator of under-the-surface struggle or covert conspiracy within the first world.

The people who complain about every little thing might do this because it is the only way they can communicate emotional turmoil or resolve childhood trauma. The seemingly little problems (like traffic jams and TV advertisements) are actually indicators of lost revenue and missed opportunities, things that the first world cannot afford forever. While poverty and starvation are huge problems, to use them to put "smaller" problems in "perspective" is an incorrect means of thinking; problems are not separate but cumulative.

Before this turns into a wall of text, I would like to finish by saying that first world problems don't go away by bringing up starving kids in Africa, or berating the person with those problems. First world problems go away when people have first world solutions.

...That sounded really cheesy.

[xcriteria]

DoA, I agree. There's the whole concept of unmet emotional needs.

Hidden stuff:

One approach to therapy that addresses unmet emotional needs is schema therapy. This is a version of cognitive therapy that looks at different schemas or frames people use to interpret the world.

Arguably, one sign of "maturity" in a positive sense is the ability to shift between schemas and ways of framing things. For example, recognizing one's own needs and feelings as valid, but also being aware of the cumulative situations of others don't have to be incompatible.

Sometimes people do get stuck in seeing unsolvable problems when there are solutions.

And, a lot of times people just get stuck in habits. Becoming aware of these, including cognitive habits, and adjusting them where it makes sense (if possible) is one step toward what you could call "maturity."

This links back into the discussion of If schools are to prepare us for life, why don't they teach us anything useful? and the related question of what is useful, and how can we best learn it.

Hidden stuff:

In that First World Problems video, I can relate to the "now I have to get another one" reaction with all of these MOOCs and free content available. It seems like such an amazing thing to access a free college course, and it is... these would have cost huge amounts of money to take in the past.

But now, there are countless MOOCs and free content, it takes a "first world solution" to figure out how to navigate that wealth of (potential) knowledge. And, this vacuum still exists where people often don't have much exposure to "maturity" or experiences and examples that would lead to it.

One indication of that is the all-too-common situation of bullying. Mindless partying is another. What will it take to connect learning to people, when the possibilities for it are increasingly pervasive?

[xcriteria]

Another thought: my share of that maturity image on G+ has been viewed over 800 times, thanks to the conversation community. I wonder how people actually process a complex image like that.

It looks cool, but then what?

One item on the image that jumped out at me was "obsessed with questions." Does that have to be a "yellow"-coded item? I think it depends on the questions, where they come from, and how answers are pursued and used.

Being "obsessed with facts" is coded green... but what if the facts are incorrect, or misinterpreted?

I think that asking good questions, and being able to understand the purpose of questions, is an important part of developing into a complete person.

How might a chart like this be used as part of a "lesson" or just as a catalyst for conversation?

[Ky]

(12-02-2013 01:59 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  One item on the image that jumped out at me was "obsessed with questions." Does that have to be a "yellow"-coded item? I think it depends on the questions, where they come from, and how answers are pursued and used.

Being "obsessed with facts" is coded green... but what if the facts are incorrect, or misinterpreted?

I thought the exact same thing! What is a fact without a question, and what makes it a fact? My personality type is not considered fact-oriented yet is considered very wise. How is this? I think this is because there is more to communication than information or logic; there is the piercing shot of a question, and the common ground of emotion.

[James Comey]

Wow I was a total shithead when I made this thread originally.

I wish I could do 2011-2015 all over again.

[brainiac3397]

(03-30-2017 02:24 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Wow I was a total shithead when I made this thread originally.

I wish I could do 2011-2015 all over again.

Nuffin wrong with the topic/statement though.

[James Comey]

No, not at all. The thread/statement is perfectly fine. But the attitude I adopted was incredibly shitty and condescending. I was a "nice guy"... thank fucking god I got out of that phase.