conflict

A Japanese proverb says, "The nail that sticks out will be hammered down." Society tries to place many rules on us as individuals as to what is acceptable and what is not. We must decide for ourselves whether to conform to such a social decorum. We are taught as soon as we are old enough to grasp the idea that it is bad to be unique and to avoid being different. At some point, however, …

…are, we learn to think for ourselves, we are aspiring to be great, and we may perchance discover what God would have us do with our lives. By deciding to be ourselves no matter the cost, we stand to gain much more from life than we could ever lose. "A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble" (Mahatma Ghandi).