To stand for something is to stand firm, hunker down, refuse to conform, to be true to a cause. Even if you may seem defiant, a rebel to protest a cause or be in an opposition. Stand your ground. Sometimes you are alone. Sometimes you are with friends. Sometimes you with people you have never known or met but all support one common goal.
I will not conform.
Time and time again I have heard many phrases from those near and far, family has said “we raised you better”, relatives have said “you have a chip on your shoulder”, employers have said “you have an authority problem”, friends say “I have a bad attitude”, lovers have said your passions will be your downfall”. I tell them all the same thing time and time again.
I will not conform.
I have a belief in my head, I see the goal and the things to be achieved by it, I can see the path in my head. These may be a dream, but a goal is better communicated than a dream. We need a goal, or a dream or a mission we feel so deeply in ourselves that it drives us beyond any other force. I can see it as clear as a light in the darkness. I can feel myself getting closer with each small victory to others I improve.
I will not conform.
Though there have others who have always been against “the man”, I don’t fight battles that are beyond my grasp. I make the impact in small steps, to serve a local and small populous. One step each day, one person at a time, one crisis at a time. My methods are unorthodox and frowned upon, but they work…. They do the job I am tasked. I will continue to do this. I will always continue to do this. Simply because…
I will not conform.
I am outspoken, I am rude and loud, I am obnoxious and blunt. I do not possess tact…. Though tact is a good skill it is not one I dedicate time to mastering simply because with tact I feel you diverge from the topic and the mission. I use words that are tough and stink and hurt. I break others down to build you up. I speak the truth even if alone. I contest the words “no” with “why”. I am a fighter……. I am what I am and if that is not enough then I know where the door is.
I will not conform.
I fight battles others run from, I speak up when others sit down, I don’t swallow my words and stare at the floor like those around me. I have a viper’s tongue but in the right argument that tongue can be coated in silver too. I am a fighter. While I carry a bad reputation, I also carry the strength to say what needs said regardless of company. Your titles, your positions, the letters behind your name on a plaque mean nothing to me. Your age, your income, your education even your committees mean nothing to me.
I will not conform.
In a world where the sensitivity of calling a duck a duck is gone. It has changed. To be honest Is to be delicate? That is not what it needs. Where people are so hellbent on formalities that we lose track of the mission and the truth. Being appealing and charming are more important than being driven and passionate for things that are important seems to be lost. Curb appeal and finesse in language are surface deep. You make a garbage dump sound Impressive with the right phrases strung together, but it’s still a garbage dump.
I will not conform.
If anything is said or taken from this entry I hope that’s its no matter where you stand, who you stand with, or what you are standing for, I hope you are standing for the right reasons. Be truthful with yourself, be honest to your calling and remember that the more you bend and change to those demands of others you are losing track of yourself to meet the needs of others. I will always stand up for the little, speak for those who cannot, fight battles that seems useless and make my point clear when something feels wrong or is blatantly incorrect.
I will not conform.