Convention-breaking

Every once in a while, I feel the need to break convention just for the sake of doing so: buy a guy friend's drink, say I want something hot because the waiter assumed I would want mild, say that being called a "lady" offends me just because all the other women are saying it doesn't bother them. Most recently, I patched a pair of dress pants rather than get new ones. This is in part a combination of me being stubborn and cheap, it's true, but another aspect is just that no one patches pants anymore. And having un-patched pants just doesn't seem like a necessity to me. The American tendency to throw things out instead of fixing them really frustrates me. Why on earth should I throw something out because there's a piece chipped off? I'm perfectly content with my handle-less mugs and patched pants, thank you very much.

Sometimes, going against the status quo isn't such a positive thing. I mean, choosing to pick one's nose in public just isn't a good thing no matter how you slice it. But more often, I think we need to be reminded that "the norm" is relative. We humans don't need un-patched clothing or new things all the time, just as guys don't need to hide tears and women don't need to shave their legs (I haven't attained that level of coolness yet--not shaving my legs--but I so admire my girlfriends who have). Pop culture and societal expectations place more demands on us than most religions could ever hope to, and I think it's good to remember that shallow, fleeting whims need not become dogma. I can't change societal perception by sewing on one little patch, but hopefully there are enough of us around who stitch that we can show just a bit of alternative to the status quo.