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The Burden of Sameness
Why is ‘sameness’ a burden? What do ‘peas’ have to do with that? Have you never heard the old saw “…like two peas in a pod”? Vegetable canners pick their products for their ‘sameness’. In any can of peas, there is very little variation in the size, color, ripeness of the little green orbs. Pretty much any canned vegetable or fruit suffers from that sameness—unless it is a bargain brand that uses the odd, the rejects of the eagle eye of sameness.
Where else do we have to endure sameness? Architecture for one. Bring up photos of most metropolis’ in this country (and elsewhere) and count the number of tall, square, glass walled buildings that dot their skylines. There are exceptions, few and rare. While we are on the subject of architecture, I have been struck by the sameness in residential buildings as well. Single family homes and multifamily condo’s and apartments stand out only because they follow a pattern of sameness. I am including the link https://www.google.com/search?q=little+houses+on+the+hillside&client=firefox-b-1-e&ei=y7qVZJSvFJPw9APZ_Y2oAQ&gs_ssp=eJzj4tFP1zcsNM2qSi6uKjJg9JLNySwpyUlVyMgvLU4tVsjPUyjJAPIyc3KKM1NSAWLpEAI&oq=little+houses+on&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQARgDMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUILhCABDIICC4QgAQQ1AIyCAguEIAEENQCMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDITCC4QgAQQlwUQ3AQQ3gQQ4AQYAToECAAQRzoHCAAQigUQQzoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwFKBAhBGABQ0ixY0TJgv2VoAHACeACAAXmIAcUCkgEDMC4zmAEAoAEBwAEByAEI2gEGCAEQARgU&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ea702aac,vid:w_xH7FI1L9Q to a song written by Malvina Reynolds, used by the producers of the television series “Weeds”. Her words struck a note that has been in the back of my mind since childhood. I am different, yet, the same. Who says we have to color a mass produced template using the same color crayons as everyone else? Why do we have to use the pre-printed lines as our guide? Where is the room for our creativity and individuality?
Now, I am not as much a rebel as I want(ed) to be. In my youth, I dressed like most others of my generation; and I cut my hair like the ‘Beatles’ much to the dismay of the barber on the military installation where I grew up (and my parents too). I aimed for a ‘normal’ and ‘expected’ career path—for a while, but then…
The lyrics to Little Houses on the Hillside talk about the sameness in professions like medicine, law, business, etc. Spewed out of universities that are all full of boxes filled with people trying to be the same. In most, if not all, executive suites across the world are filled with, gray, charcoal, black (and rarely Navy) suits—male and female. God forbid a senior executive wear a tan suit. Red ties, Harvard stripes, etc. are badges of sameness.
Is there anything wrong with ‘sameness’? Repetition is sometimes the right thing to do. Manufacturing is one area where it makes sense…products made of the same components on an assembly line make it possible for everyone to afford them—or repair them. In construction, building to set blueprint cuts the cost of materials by factor of scale, and allows builders to use the same procedures for each unit they construct. In the military, it is wise for everyone to dress the same, follow the same regulations and use the same weapons.
But, and it is a big but—individuality leads to a happier people, innovation, less stress—individuality need not lead to chaos, not that chaos is a bad thing either. Where is the happy medium? Could it be the red entry door in a sea of white ones a good sign or tennis shoes beneath a wedding dress, or a pink shirt in the boardroom? I can’t say. Tattoo’s were once a symbol of individualism, they have become a part of the sameness of our culture. So is pristine skin the symbol of rebellion now?
I just think of the ‘Can O’ Peas’…don’t be lumped into the can with everyone else.
Just be yourself!
skull valley tales 