Am Thomas — On Individuality, Conformity and the Courage to Think**

When I was a teenager, I refused to take part in my communion.

Not out of rebellion — but out of conviction.

I simply asked a question that no one seemed prepared to answer:

“What’s in it for me?”

Not in a selfish sense — but in a rational one.

If belief is meaningful, it must be personal.

If it is imposed, it becomes ritual without substance.

The silence I received in response taught me something far more valuable than the ritual ever

could:

Just because everyone does something does not make it meaningful.

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The Pressure to Conform

What struck me even then was not the ritual itself,

but the unquestioned participation of everyone else.

Not out of belief — but out of compliance.

Fear of standing out.

Fear of disappointing expectations.

Fear of being different.

And this pattern, I later realized, extends far beyond religion.

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From Ritual to Society

Years later, standing on the Great Wall of China, I found myself reflecting on the same idea.

Entire systems — societies even — are built on the same underlying force:

Fear of the unknown and the desire for control.

Conformity becomes structure.

Isolation becomes strategy.

Difference becomes threat.

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How It Begins

We often assume that intolerance is something learned later in life.

It is not.

It begins early:

• “Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

• “Be like the others.”

• “Don’t be different.”

Over time, these subtle messages shape behavior.

And eventually, people stop asking questions.

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The Cost of Living Someone Else’s Life

Many people spend years — sometimes decades — living according to expectations that are not

their own.

Not because they lack ability.

But because they lack permission —

or believe they do.

And the result is predictable:

• dissatisfaction

• confusion

• a constant sense that something is not aligned

Because at its core, there is a simple truth:

You cannot build a fulfilled life on borrowed convictions.

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The Illusion of Collective Identity

In moments of crisis, societies often rally around shared slogans.

“I am Charlie.”

I understood the intention.

I supported the cause.

I stood for the values.

But I also asked myself:

Am I truly Charlie?

Or am I expressing solidarity?

There is a difference.

Because when we replace the “I” with an “us”,

we risk losing the very individuality we claim to defend.

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A World of Individuals, Not Labels

We live in a world increasingly defined by categories:

Nationality

Religion

Ideology

Profession

But none of these define a person completely.

They are attributes — not identity.

The danger begins when we reduce ourselves — or others — to a single label.

Because that is where division starts.

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Years later, I discovered that in the Chinese zodiac I was born under the sign of the 1966 Fire

Horse — an archetype traditionally associated with independence, movement, intensity and

resistance to stagnation.

Whether symbolic or psychological, I found the description strangely familiar.

Because looking back, much of my life was never driven by the desire to simply belong to

existing structures.

It was driven by the desire to understand them deeply enough to improve them.

The Courage to Be an Individual

A functioning society is not built on uniformity.

It is built on individuals who are capable of thinking independently —

and coexisting respectfully.

Not as identical units.

But as distinct perspectives.

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Conclusion

I may be many things:

a European

a German

a businessman

a product of certain cultures and experiences

But none of these define me entirely.

Because ultimately:

I am more than the sum of my parts.

And that is not a statement of separation.

It is a statement of responsibility.

To think.

To question.

To choose.

I am Thomas.

And I will not compromise on that.