The group of people that live "together" (Obviously not the same
house, but the same area, however, the range can be very variable, i.e.,
this term is very general.)
Unfortunately, social bias favors the majority, and thus, the minority is harmed. Even for some legally protected groups, they may face some implicit bias, for instance, when employers select which people to recruit. This might be disadvantageous to me, because I am one who doesn't really like traditional societal ideals. In fact, I am more solitary and find that my creativity sparks more when I am alone, for instance, in the shower or bed! More below:
Big conflict!
“Just be yourself” -> Others’ perception of them might be weird ->
Maybe a lack of job
“Yourself” hates hostile culture without admitting it, yet it’s a
societal norm, so they believe it’s good because it's the only way to be
functional?
Perhaps here, I like speaking English, but many others here speak
Chinese. It’s the “norm” to speak Chinese, yet I don’t like it; yet
again, I do it out of necessity sometimes.
It’s a conflict
of practicality and desire, most likely.
If we link this to free will… Technically, being yourself is just “doing
whatever you like,” so you can either choose to follow social norms or
not. (But probably don’t be a murderer or child sexual abuser, it would
likely land you in jail, stripping you of free will
Social norms’ origin? What most people do properly.
But most people are shaped by emotions, not practicality.
There are just so many thinking methods, and conflict exists eternally.
Eg, why do we celebrate birthdays with a candle? It’s just a fire
hazard, and blowing spreads germs into the cake is eaten- because it’s a
norm, yet it makes no sense logically…
Firstly, is the “average” the "rightest"? Not necessarily. Phone doomscrollers - bad yet normal…
But it’s what most people are used to, so fewer complaints or
critiques.
If a human is detached from criticisms, though… He can be what he
wants himself. But the conflict is that he still practically has to live
with other people, people are socially reliant yet usually socially
non-understanding of perspectives that they are not used to…
-> least controllable, yet most people want this to improve
Most people regard this as significant
However, Schopenhower finds it nearly impossible to explain why people
sacrifice themselves/their identities so much for the approval of
others
However, it is still a biological force, as humans lived in tribes for a
long time during evolution. (Atavism—a leftover trait from tribal
survival.)
Admittedly, the human desires fully to be himself, but he still sacrifices
a bit of self-identity and peace of mind to make himself more honorable
and acceptable in the eyes of others.
And why do they even want other people in the first place (beyond
pragmatic necessities like getting a job) when it’s so effortful? While
the best fit for the man is the man himself…
Thus philosophically others’ opinions are not very important as it’s
their choice and has little change on the life of the self, the majority of the
time. People’s thoughts are futile, ideas are narrow, sentiments are
mean, opinions perverse over facts. And the worst of all, most are based
on not knowing the full circumstances and are thus likely
erroneous
—>As a result, it is considered that neutrality or indifference leads
to the least pain and most rationality.
It’s a waste of time and money to buy/make possessions just to
improve self-image in others if you don’t like it yourself.
The life of the self is the one life that YOU can factually experience
and feel from a first-person
perspective. It’s thus more important to prioritize your own life over
others’, or their perception of yours, (to a certain extent, of course
not murdering people you hate.), otherwise people will be miserable, as
they prioritize being applaudable by society, and thus forge themselves in a direction
they don’t truly want, over a true life, factually existing in control,
and their own well-being and rationality itself.
Even if you KNOW a problem most of society has, changing YOUR thoughts won't change anyone else's - you don't like it, you still live within it and suffer through common problems - clearly cannot be solved by one-man-army.