Why would I want to be like everyone else?

I believe everyone is unique. Whether they let themselves be unique is another question entirely. Many of us go through life trying to conform to what our peers have decided is good or "cool" (fill in the current term for popular here), only to discover that this is not possible for us to accomplish. Rather than mope about in futility, trying to be "normal" I have decided to be who I am and that means: unique, different (yes, even wierd). Life is much happier, I've discovered, when you find out who God made you to be and just be that person. To heck with those who think they know what is good or pretty or funny. I'm tired of those pretentious souls who see it as their mission in life to make others feel they must conform to their idea of what to wear, what to do and what to say.
Lest you think this is just another nonconformist rant, I do believe there are things to which everyone ought to conform. Such as breathing oxygen, eating non-poisonous things, having good manners etc. and answer to God (whether one acknowledges Him or not, answering to Him is unavoidable).
Being unique does not make you friendless, contrary to what those "popular people" tell you. On the contrary, you have more real, genuine friendships than you would ever have conforming to the popular ideas of the day. People can like you for who you really are, not just what you pretend to be in order to "fit in." Those who would reject or criticize you for being who God made you (and this doesn't mean being a jerk) are not worth your time. There will always be people who do not like you for one reason or another (or even no reason at all). Ultimately, as long as God is happy with you; nothing else matters. God is the only one who has a consistent opinion anyway! People are changeable and fickle, especially women (I should know, I'm a woman!).
The thing about this is, there are people who should know better than to criticize others for being unique and unaverage and yet they persist in tearing down those who do not reflect the typical or average. Case in point, my husband was recently singled out by someone for being different than the typical or average seminary student in the way he reads and preaches. This person roundly criticized him for it. I was truly amazed and think that the person should know better than to impose his jock herd mentality on others, and should know that God made us all unique with our own personal style. Some things are just part of who we are and are neither right nor wrong. From talking to others who have heard my husband read and preach it is pretty clear that this is this particular person's personal problem with my husband and not (at least to the same degree) shared by most others. It is pretty clear from our history with this person that he had thought my husband and I were weird from the day he met us. Fine, I readily accept the title of wierd. What I reject is the notion that it must be changed automatically and cannot be appreciated. I believe unique is good and average or popular is boring. To conform to what everyone else is doing is to demonstrate that you cannot think for yourself (in fact, that you do not dare to do so). How sad.