Create a 5 pages page paper that discusses the role which conformity should play in society. Individuals should have the ability to decipher things for themselves in a manner that is set forth by Percy, but they should also remember that the group has a great deal of wisdom as well. It should be up the individual to decide if he or she wishes to conform in any given situation and this individual should not have to feel like he or she is missing out on any experience if he or she decides to conform.
According to Percy, conformity is dangerous because it predefines an individual’s thoughts on something before he or she has had the chance to experience this thing. The example that he uses is how an individual would view the Grand Canyon. When approaching the Grand Canyon, the individual will already have a preconceived notion of what he or she believes the Canyon will be. This, in turn, means that his or her experience will be a comparison between these preconceived notions and the reality that he or she is experiencing. This type of conformity can take away from life’s experiences because it means that these experiences are based on a comparison to the experiences of other and, therefore, are not legitimate experiences. Percy believes that people should have the ability to go into these types of experiences fresh, as this is the only way in which to truly experience something. Percy furthers this idea when he states that individuals will often sacrifice their own experiences in order to gain acceptance of them. He uses the example of two friends boycotting the popular areas on a Mexican vacation and only going to secluded places that they had never heard of. .
