Crack in the Mold by Sathvik

13.6 billion years of evolution—one you. 

This creation was the result of countless collaborations. Each person in the world was made to do something uniquely great. Something different from everyone else. 

However, from the mature age of 4, we’re placed in a factory where the future of the world is mass produced, being pressed into the same mold. The moldable mind has been taken advantage of to be manipulated in a manner similar to the journey of individual photons: from the center of the Sun, they embark on their perilous adventure through space. 

What if they were all placed into a lens that shone them directly onto a planet like Mercury? There would be no more light on Venus, no light on Earth, no light anywhere else. 

Each photon meant to brighten up someone else’s day has been sent through a “mold” that deposited them all into one endpoint. 

What we were told would soon open up innumerable ways to “make it in life” changed our mindset into thinking that some digits on a bank account, which results from over 100,000 hours of our lives, is “successful.” 

It’s crucial to recognize what you were meant to do, what you want, and not spend 20 years striving for only what your teachers or parents want—then the rest of your life working for what your boss wants. 

Instead of working for someone else’s dreams, work on your own.

As the world becomes more interconnected, groupthink expands, causing us to feel as if we’ll be outcasts if we don’t follow the “norms.” Statistically, the greater the population, the more defined the expectations. 

The masses expect you to study until you are 24 years old, receive a graduate degree, and pick one of the few “successful” career options. With so many people giving their opinion, which settles on your shoulders like boulders, you get the feeling their words are more superior than your wishes—and your desires are probably something to forget (which now feels like a very good idea). 

What if what I want to do doesn’t turn out to be fruitful? What if people judge me because I chose to be different? What if someone I had asked for help earlier doesn’t offer me their guidance because I decided to traverse my own path?

Would I be able to show my face to the ones who wanted me to listen to them? I can already hear them saying, “I told you so, I told you so.” 

If I follow what others say, maybe I won’t face any backlash. However, I know that if I follow someone else’s passions, I’ll never be true to myself. I’ll hate a big part of my life, constantly feeling regretful. 

As the weight of the expectations increases, we feel more inclined to follow the masses rather than ourselves. 

But imagine this: Rather than thinking you won’t be able to show your face once you fail, think about how you can show your face once you’ve achieved much more success than if you’d chosen what someone else wanted. 

Your own path leads to more genuine work and tears being poured into what you do. 

When doing what someone else wants, you work for a certain timeframe and usually don’t think about it for a while (unless it’s urgent) because you’d prefer to do what you enjoy. However, if you do what you like, you can set your own timeline, creating an outcome you dreamed of. 

A social psychology post published in Collabra explains that, “People are increasingly concerned about the social consequences of expressing opinions, particularly in online spaces where scrutiny is often harsh and widespread.” 

Although it’s tempting to follow what’s pounded into us, it’s crucial to understand ourselves, or we’ll spend the rest of our lives living others’ wishes.

Before we were introduced to the single mold meant to shape our lives, there was a large proportion of people who changed how we understood the world. Our history books—once overwhelming in number and pages—traveled across the world for a reason. 

Now, both physical and digital pages are emptier, reflecting the result of our minds being forced into uniformity. If we do not take action, the same fate will shape our descendants, distancing us from who we were originally meant to be.

Along with trying to preserve our uniqueness, it’s essential to understand that we are different from what our ancestors were. 

The moldable brain must become less naive and more reflective to express what we are.

We have to put ourselves in a position to utilize the gifts and talents we were born with. No organism is created to be a replica of its predecessors as everyone’s DNA is altered during development. 

Seeing people everywhere trying to fit in with each other, thinking it makes them “not an outcast,” actually forces their minds to follow that of a lab rat—the goal of the modern school system. 

John D. Rockefeller was the mastermind behind the creation of the modern school system where everyone was expected to ride the conveyor belt and do the same things, think the same things, be the same thing—just like in a factory. Conveyor belt education and a factory of workers to put pennies in his pocket was the goal of the organizer. 

Rockefeller wanted to create a system that would fill factories with hundreds of employees doing the same tedious jobs—obedient robots who could be easily manipulated and controlled by a single higher power. This form of development only helped the highest positions. If only the top percent were benefiting, do the lives of everyone else not mean anything?

Following a conventional norm, refraining from expressing your emotions and voice, takes a drastic toll on your mental health. The effects can accumulate, ruining your life.

Think about it. You spend your days—from the beginning of your life until you retire—following the expectations of society and someone who feels as if they have more power than you. 

Is that the life you want? I know I don’t.

Counselor and Trauma Therapist Dr. Liddy Carver shared in an article that, “Wanting to fit in with the popular kids at school or even work can be damaging to your mental health; ultimately, you are pushing aside everything that makes you unique to mold yourself into this ‘perfect person’ that you believe you need to be.” 

As we strive to achieve something great, it’s essential to recognize that the only way to do so is to do something different…which requires being different.

No matter how much you try to be part of the crowd, you will always be unique to the core in one way or another. 

No matter how much you try to be part of the crowd, you will always face some sort of backlash from someone—or believe you will.

No matter how much you try to be part of the crowd, you will always have a feeling that a part of your soul is missing.