In every school a “top” crowd sets the pace, while the others follow their lead.Let’s say the top crowd decides that it is smart to wear bright red sweaters. Pretty soon everybody is wearing a bright red sweater. There is nothing wrong with that, except the fact that on some people a bright red sweater is extremely¹ unbecoming. The situation can even become dangerous, if the top crowd decides that it is smart to drink or to drive cars at seventy miles an hour. Then the people who follow the lead are endangering² their lives. They are like the sheep being led to the butcher³.

Now, chances are that you have come across situations like these more than once in your life; chances are that one time or another you probably did something you knew to be wrong. You may have excused yourself by saying, “Gee⁴, the crowd does it.” Well, let the crowd do it, but don’t do it yourself. Learn to say, “No.”

Develop your own standards and your own judgment⁵. If you know the crowd is planning something you disagree with, have the courage to bow out politely. You’ll have the satisfaction of standing⁶ on your own two feet. Remember this in your heart, you are the unique one in the world, just be yourself.