Community Is Not Conformity

            In both major historical eras and short periods in the lives of individuals, man has struggled with his role in community. It’s always difficult to strike a middle-ground between being a conformist yes-man who dresses in the exact same monkey-suit and tie as the next guy at work and forsaking community altogether to live a life in the woods reminiscent of Duck Dynasty while trying to seek enlightenment. Whether you follow the standards set by your community or are completely disillusioned by them, it does not matter; it is your duty as an individual—and a basic human need of yours—to better your community.

            In Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, Jeannette’s father expresses his contempt for the conformist ideals of society when he thunders that he “hated all the people who lived in air-conditioned houses with the windows permanently sealed, and drove air-conditioned cars to nine-to-five jobs in air-conditioned office buildings that he said were little more than gussied-up prisons” (Walls 106). The Walls family seems to detest the idea of living in a community, and because they are always running—either from the law or just for the heck of it—from town to town, the children never really get to establish a sense of closeness with other kids. However, wherever they are, they are taught to improve their community by being nice to the individuals in it, no matter how difficult it is. Jeannette’s mother tells her to “show more compassion” to Billy Deel (the boy who would later assault her), and to be kind to Dinitia Hewitt (the girl who bullies her) because blacks are people, too (Walls 38). Though they despise the idea of being tied down to a community, the Walls family appeases its conscience, shows love to others, and makes its community a better place.

Pakistan. Sixteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai is shot by the government for trying to get girls the right to an education. She rebels against her community’s ideals and vehemently opposes the way it keeps women in shackles, but she does this only to improve the quality of life for all its members. Yousafzai knows in her heart that women deserve better, her conscience tells her that something must be done, and just like the Walls family, she must mend the brokenness of the very community she hates.