You might have heard: March to (the Beat of) a Different Drummer. I'm not an expert on the origin of the saying, but it might have come from this quote:
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. - Henry David Thoreau**
Maybe a more modern rendition would be:
Ignore those who think you are odd, because their mediocre opinions are meaningless to a person who thrives. - Claire Streb
It is closely related to:
Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly. - Albert Einstein**
My sister told my mother once, "I find Claire odd." My reaction? I laughed. She meant it as something negative, but I took it as a compliment. :)
When I was young, I liked to do things out of character to observe the reactions of people. I sometimes said things I didn't mean or acted in an uncontrolled manner to see if they were shocked or laughed or had some intelligent come-back. I took pride in being different. I started out being nonconformist just for the sake of it, which was stupid (of course, but as I said, I was young), and then it turned into a social experiment.
I have since tamed myself (matured) over the years and strive to be humble. I might still do things that are a little different from the norm, but it's now because I am being authentic. I strongly care about other's feelings, but their personal opinions about me? Not so much, because I leave that up to God.
I lived on and off in the UK for eight years, their collective culture (England, Wales, and Northen Ireland, not so much Scotland-the Scottish are all about Freedom-enter Braveheart theme here) is to stifle individualism. While I loved the people there, I found myself yearning for home (the States) where our inalienable* individual rights are guaranteed. When I returned in 2013 for good, I was blindsided with what many in this country had become. Or, maybe it was here all along, and I had a new perspective.
Some people preach Social "Tolerance", which when you examine what they really mean, it comes down to this: We must not only tolerate everything they want (and if you don't, you're either a bigot, a racist, or some-kind-of-phobe), but we are also expected to accept it. Therefore, in actuality, it is really Social Intolerance, and I don't want any part of it.
Another hypocritical word that gets bandied about is "Diversity". I went to a so-called Diversity meeting once, and the people were actually bullying others, who wanted to be different, to be silent. Hello people, Diversity means to celebrate differences!
Is United we Stand possible with diversity? You bet! This country is founded on diversity and free speech.
You might find these interesting:
If you've gotten this far and think I'm egotistical, please think again. I did not dedicate this entire page to myeelf, but to you! Are you perhaps thinking that you're weird or abnormal or just a little differnt? This page is for you to celebrate with me!
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*By the way, the word inalienable is not in-alien-able, but is in-a-lien-able, which means it is a right that cannot be taken away, that is, not a privilege.
**Just because I am using quotes from public figures does not mean I agree with everything they said and did. I just liked their quote.