Deviance

Deviance.

Oh, how I love that word. It describes something that I want to be, but not wholly. It is something that everyone needs a little bit of but society reprimands. It is represented as a very negative word but is actually very situational.

According to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/deviance, "Deviance" is the state of being different from a norm or from the accepted standards of society. This means that deviant persons refuse to restrict themselves with the expectations and definitions of society. They don't want to be a part of the norm and usually does things that are out of the ordinary. Because of this, deviance is usually related to crime.

However, as I have mentioned, being deviant is not entirely wrong or sinful. Everyone actually has the tendency (and they give in to this tendency more than they would admit) to be deviant. One is deviant when he/she tries to skip lines to save time and actually feels glorious about it. A student is deviant if he/she is not preparing for exams and not submitting homework. An employee is deviant if he/she always comes in late and sleeps during office hours, and so on.

Okay, so the examples I enumerated may not be praiseworthy, but you get the point. We are all deviant in our own little ways, which is actually great, at some point. This only means that all of us also refuses (at certain  times) to be bound by what society demands. We become deviant whenever we want or when we feel it is most advantageous to us. And this is where deviance becomes wrong.

As I have clearly stated above, being deviant is refusing to be limited to what society dictates. However, this refusal should not come from selfish reasons such as laziness, image of coolness, or personal gain, but from a belief that what the society imposes is situationally wrong. People often exhibit deviance because they know they can get away with it even if they think that it is legally wrong. And thus, deviance earns its place beside crime and misconduct when in fact, deviance should be an expression of personal strengths, values and beliefs. People should actually be deviant because they believe that it is the right thing to do at that exact moment. Being deviant is a personal stand, a definition of who you want to be, a mission.

With this, I will proudly proclaim that I am deviant. I strongly oppose to applying for a corporate job even if that's what everyone expects, recommends and does, mainly because I feel that corporate life isn't for me. I do not care if people get mad or annoyed at me for this because I know I would only end up hating myself if I give in to their pressure (and that would be worse than having the whole world hate you). And although I haven't been held up legally, I would even dare going against the law or the officials as long as I personally believe that what I'm doing is right. There would be no higher judgement than your own and no bigger fool than yourself if you give that to someone else (IMO).

Ultimately, I follow rules not because it is what society expects me to do but because I understand that those rules serve to maintain peace and order. Similarly, I don't follow the exact letter of these rules but its essence, why these rules were put up in the first place. Unfortunately, it is indeed a lot easier to do the former.

I am not saying that we should all disregard the rules and be wholly deviant (anything in excess is wrong). I'm just saying that we should pay more attention to what these rules are really about and what really think is right.

Cheers!