Dear Squeers,

Thanks for reading the link I gave.
And for responding in such a detailed manner.

The mysticism of Buddhism offers the
believer salvation at a spiritual level, where
earthly cares become unimportant. Christian theodicy
holds out the hope of eternal salvation
in heaven in recompense for ordeals on earth.

Emile Durkheim, was the first sociologist to apply
the perspective to religion in a systematic way.
His study, "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life,"
was first published in 1912 and has since become
a classic. Durkheim saw that religion has a vital
function in maintaining the social system as a whole.
He believed that the origins of religion were social,
not supernatural. He pointed out that, whatever
their source, the rituals enacted in any religion
enhance the solidarity of the community as well
as its faith. Consider such religious rituals as -
Baptism, Bar Mitzvah, Weddings, Sabbath Services,
Christmas Mass, and Funerals. Rituals like these
serve to bring people together; to remind them
of their common group memberships' to reaffirm
traditional values; to maintain prohibitions
and taboos; to offer comfort in times of crisis;
and, in general, to help transmit the cultural
heritage from one generation to the next.

It's interesting that Durkheim argued, shared
religious beliefs and the rituals that go with
them are so important that every society needs a
religion, or at least some belief system that
serves the same functions.

The cause of much of the social disorder in modern
societies, he contended, is that "the old gods
are growing old or are already dead, and others are
not yet born." In other words, people no longer
believe deeply in traditional religion, but they have
found no satisfying substitute. Lacking commitment
to a shared belief system, they tend to pursue their
private interests. Perhaps that's why Eastern religions
such as Buddhism have attracted interest in the West,
especially among young people. Its goal is characterized
by such principles as life, truth, and tolerance of
other beliefs. Koestler in his book, "The Lotus and the
Robot," saw Eastern religions as a "superficiality."

You can think you're being different and yet still be conforming. My sister, a non-conformist in many respects, gave her children names which, in each case, were top of the list that year. When I joked about her 'conformity' - she said ' I really thought I was being different!'. Presumably so did all the other thousands who gave their kids the same name those years, making them the most popular.

I know names and other similar 'fashion' trends are simpler issue that the ones discussed on this thread, but I wonder if there's really a lot of difference? For an insight in to the underlying psychology of cultural change, conformity and non-conformity, I'd recommend: A matter of taste: how names, fashions, and culture change
Stanley Lieberson.

And yes, I have always thought of myself as a non-conformist, making my unique decisions, but one day someone said to me 'why do all you (my professional group) drive Subarus?'. I now wonder if I'm really conforming to one pattern of non-conformity.

I thought I was being a non conformist when
I had an ankle tattoo done. Until I found out
that tattoos had suddenly become extremely
popular. Of course, I love my ankle tattoo
and wouldn't change it. It's part of me,
and was a birthday present from my youngest
son - who was so proud of me at the time for
having it done. Anyway, I prefer to think that
I'm a "non-conformist," I've always chosen
my own path in life. But perhaps I'm being
delusional. Who knows?

Dear Cossomby,
It is very difficult not to be drawn into some kind of conformity - as you say, even if you are going out of your way to avoid it.

I often notice an interesting phenomenon that takes place on bin day. Every week the rubbish truck comes around to empty the bins - however, the recycle truck only comes by every fortnight. If one resident mistakenly puts out their recycle bin on the "off" week, I've noticed that the majority of other residents will do the same. The more recycle bins mistakenly put out, the greater the temptation to follow suit - just in case. Interesting....

Dear Foxy,

Many years before I had my son, I came across a name that I really liked. It was certainly a fairly uncommon name at that stage and I thought that if I ever had a son then that would be his name. Nineteen years later I did have a son and what did I find - that my chosen "uncommon" name was now the fourth most popular name in the state - still gave it to him, though.

Dear Poirot,

I really can identify with unusual names
for sons. I have two sons - and I chose
my first born's name - which was an unusual,
(Persian) name,
and which he loves even today. However,
my husband chose the name of our youngest
son - and equally, he picked an unusual
name - which (unfortunately) our
youngest son has now changed to a
more common name. He hated his "unusual"
name. Preferring to conform. I guess, it's
peer pressure to conform, especially at
school.