This is like Apple calling the removal of their headphone jacks "brave", because they were non-conforming. Its... a bullshit use of the term. Assigning virtue ("courage") to actions that really have nothing to do with courage, and more to do with saving a few bucks and millimeters on the design.
Its already a stretch IMO to call "courage" strictly a virtue, as it leads to pride and idiocy in many cases. In many cases, courage is needed though, so I think its a good heuristic to "try to be courageous" more often than not.
Stretching it even further on conformity vs non-conformity is just too far to me. Conforming is sometimes good, sometimes bad. Its grossly depends on a case-by-case basis.
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Its important to know the destructiveness of crowds, the tyranny of the majority, and other such situations where non-conformity is a virtue.
But there's also the issue of looking like a fool, a proud fool, for just going against the grain for no good reason. And then "courageously" doubling down on your position over and over again. I think this mistake is more common today. Think Westboro Baptist Church, if you need a real-world example. Or the "courage" of the Proud Boys. Etc. etc.
I don't know quite when Rollo May was born or the state of society was when he made this quote. But... in _today's_ society, there's a lot of special snowflakes who want to stand out. IMO, its more common for people to be non-conforming to a fault these days.
This is like Apple calling the removal of their headphone jacks "brave", because they were non-conforming. Its... a bullshit use of the term. Assigning virtue ("courage") to actions that really have nothing to do with courage, and more to do with saving a few bucks and millimeters on the design.
Its already a stretch IMO to call "courage" strictly a virtue, as it leads to pride and idiocy in many cases. In many cases, courage is needed though, so I think its a good heuristic to "try to be courageous" more often than not.
Stretching it even further on conformity vs non-conformity is just too far to me. Conforming is sometimes good, sometimes bad. Its grossly depends on a case-by-case basis.
---------
Its important to know the destructiveness of crowds, the tyranny of the majority, and other such situations where non-conformity is a virtue.
But there's also the issue of looking like a fool, a proud fool, for just going against the grain for no good reason. And then "courageously" doubling down on your position over and over again. I think this mistake is more common today. Think Westboro Baptist Church, if you need a real-world example. Or the "courage" of the Proud Boys. Etc. etc.
I don't know quite when Rollo May was born or the state of society was when he made this quote. But... in _today's_ society, there's a lot of special snowflakes who want to stand out. IMO, its more common for people to be non-conforming to a fault these days.