The conflict between the need to belong to a group and the need to be seen as unique and individual is the dominant struggle of adolescence.
quote by Jeanne Elium

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Oooo...Oooo-Oooo Wee Ow-ouch!
'I'm more dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.
I'm more dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
Oooo...
Oooo-Oooo wee ow-ouch!
'More dominant and not the weak one.
I'm more dominant and not the weak one.'
Oooo...
Oooo-Oooo wee ow-ouch!
She says I'm on a pacifier.
Unreliable with too many needs.
She says I'm heat under the sheets...
But she's the one who buys the food we eat.
She says I'm not dependable at all.
And by herself she does the best she can alone,
To make all ends meet!
When bill collectors call.
And,
She's more dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.
Oooo...
Oooo-Oooo wee ow-ouch.
More dominant and not the weak one?
More dominant and not the weak one?
Submissive when she comes to the bed.
Prepared to get her needs met!
And I am ever ready.
I've lost my job and the kids are fed.
I do the best I can...
But I'm not making the bread.
And my ego's thinly spread.
When the work I've done is meager.
And the words I hear from her...
Are wrestling in my head.
'I'm more dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
OW!
'...dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
OW!
'...dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
And if I leave my family...
I'll lose my life instead.
'I'm more dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
OW!
'...dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
OW!
'...dominant and not the weak one.
More dominant and not the weak one.'
Oooo...
Oooo-Oooo wee ow-ouch.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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The thing I loved the most - and still love the most about teaching - is that you can connect with an individual or a group, and see that individual or group exceed their limits.
quote by Mike Krzyzewski

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All initiation of force is a violation of someone else's rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it's supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals.

When a person identifies himself with a group his critical faculties are diminished and his passions enhanced by a kind of emotive resonance. The individual is not a killer, the group is, and by identifying with it, the individual becomes one. This is the infernal dialect reflected in man's history.
quote by Arthur Koestler

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Having The Experience
Knowledge of realms beyond this reality is non-
verifiable, used in creating mental universes, not
useful for constructing inter-subjective consensus,
diversity is great for its own sake, the eccentric and
unique are assets only when they are original, never
made into a norm to be enforced
Unique experiences are individual possessions, we
are free to refuse anything disseminated in a quest
for sameness - I sometimes succumb to the desire
for acceptance by joining a group, it ends in disaster,
innate distrust of forcing one will on others prevents
me from playing charades for happiness’ sake
Unique experience seems too precious to be made
subservient to another, the personal mental world
is to be treasured, not elevated and disseminated
as gospel rules, proselytizing militates against all
I passionately defend and so I remain alone,
neither leader nor follower, enjoying the
Illusions of collective reality; accepting only sensory
information for universal communication, keeping
feelings and thoughts for unlimited possibility,
excitingly mysterious, valid only for the
individual having the experience…
poem by Margaret Alice Second

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Me
I don't 'belong' to anyone,
As far as I can see
I am an individual
And no one's property;
I won't be owned by anyone,
Nor will I bend the knee,
A servant not, no matter what,
Nor ever will I be;
I'm not in thrall to anyone,
My master, I will be,
A unique human being,
I'm John, and simply me.
(Written Sept 2012)
poem by John Carter Brown

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Adolescence as the time when an individual 'recapitulates' the savage stage of the race's past.
quote by Granville Stanley Hall

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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True
Sun come shining through
You are still dreaming
I can hardly believe it
Im here with you
Lying in you arms
I hear you breathing
I tried to capture the moment
That I share with you
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Tell me this is true
Drowning in your eyes
Your heart is beating
The world outside it feels so cold
But its warm here with you
Hours they go by
My love keeps growing
Its like we live in slow motion
Im so lost in you
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Tell me this is true
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
Can this be true
I belong to you
You belong to me
I cant believe its true
song performed by by Lasgo

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The individual makes a clear effort to define moral values and principles that have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups of persons holding them and apart from the individual's own identification with the group.
quote by Lawrence Kohlberg

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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You Belong To Me
Verse 1
Why'd you tell me this
Were you looking for my reaction
What do you need to know
Don't you know I'll always be your girl
You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers
I've got lovin' eyes, of my own...
Chorus
You belong to me
Tell her - tell her you were foolin'
(You belong to me)
You don't even know her
(You belong to me)
Tell her that I love you
(You belong to me...)
Verse 2
You belong to me
Can it be, honey, that you're not sure
You belong to me
Thought we'd closed the book and locked the door
You don't have to prove to me That you're beautiful to strangers
I've got loving eyes of my own (of my own...)
And I can tell - I can tell darling...
Tell her... tell her that I love you
Chorus 2
(You belong to me)
You belong... you belong... you belong to me
(You belong to me)
Tell her you were foolin'
(You belong to me)
Tell her she don't even know you
Chorus 3
Tell... her-tell her you were foolin'
(You belong to me)
I know you from a long time ago baby
(You belong to me)
Don't make me go to her house
(You belong to me)
You belong, you belong, you belong to me
Repeat to Fade
You belong to me...(You belong to me)
You belong to me...(You belong to me)
You belong to me...(You belong to me)
You belong to me...(You belong to me)...
song performed by by Jennifer Lopez

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Defining Perfection
What is perfection other than
a self conflicting inner obsession?
Perhaps the word needs new
subjective definition
Perfect seen in multi-dimensions
unique to each individual perception
perfect not being the finished product
but acceptance of progress enduring struggle
perfection in a strength and willingness to stand
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan

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I Belong To This Group Of Men
i belong to this group of men with eyes
that look like full moons gazing at some stars
not just seeing the glitter but
minding the faults as well of the lights that sometime fail
and then mete the penalties for failing to live up
to the demands of light and orbit
against darkness and the bad things that sometimes
loneliness can inflict upon us
we are human
we believe in rules that we make and we impose the standards
of our actions
i belong to this group of men tasked to measure
the value of each man
his strengths and his weaknesses
the chambers where the rules are laid
the hammers that must be be banged
the souls that must be made to suffer
the segregation of those unfit
from these society of fools
i belong to this group of self-righteous men
for years and years i will be here
not counting the cost of my strangeness
this alienation from day to day
this segregation of me
this falling and falling and falling
far from you i have no feelings anymore
i am all mind
i am broken i am all mind i am looking for the images
of softness
and gentleness and loftiness
i long for the humility of sinfulness
teach me how can i be human again?
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Reduced to its lowest terms, the great struggle which now rocks the whole earth more and more takes on the character of a struggle of the individual versus the state.
quote by J. Reuben Clark

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Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It's about hanging on during a very bumpy ride.
quote by Ron Taffel

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Adolescence represents an inner emotional upheaval, a struggle between the eternal human wish to cling to the past and the equally powerful wish to get on with the future.
quote by Louise J. Kaplan

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We pass the word around we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry we meditate over the literature we play the music we change our minds we reach an understanding. Society evolves this way, not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other.
quote by Lewis Thomas

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We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature; we play the music; we change our minds; we reach an understanding. Society evolves this way, not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other.
Lewis Thomas in The Medusa and the Snail (1979)

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Social Classes
The Social Classes
I tried to measure my individual status
Against this worlds benchmark
Pondering on common open remarks
Researching from newspapers
And listening to the media
Learning from decades of history
Some of those events remain a mystery
Trying to unfold the logic
Of the class differences in today’s modern society
Upper Class, Upper Class my foot
These are merely wealthy tycoons
Most of them born with golden spoons
Luck is needed to belong to this ring
Its liking flying to the moon
In a hot aired balloon
Or trying to sing
Through a key ring
Their moral obligation
As a minority of the nation
Is to obtain the best and most expensive education
They make damn well sure
Mechanisms are in place to differentiate
And ensure infinity of inequality
Like ownership of earths land
Placing humans beings in separate class bands
With a unique voice
You could release some hit songs
And become a millionaire
And join the so called
Socioeconomic class
Beware most of these people don’t care
You may never belong
I am not alone
I have not being blessed with this privilege
I wish all social classes could just merge
And unite as one
Maybe we may then be able to get rid of the gun
Right under your very nose
Right under the sun
Middle Class, Middle Class
This is the centre
Of confusion for the masses
The obvious gap between the rich and the poor
Here there is everything to live and die for
Hardworking families with two incomes
Dreaming of a random lucky lottery storm
Middle class people are so vain
Everyone striving for prestigious and wealthy gains
You are judged by your looks and your lifestyle
You are judged by what you wear from a lengthy mile
If you are making a considerable racket
In the labour market
You are always adored
People will always laugh at your dry jokes and never get bored
As an individual
One of my chances as usual
To improve my status in this class is
Societies and clubs
Where my expectations
Could be me met
If I have contacts
To the people in the right positions
This is the common norm
One you must conform
To be accepted
Lower Class Lower Class
Some of these people
Play quite skilful jazz
These are the lowest of the lot
The group everyone has simply forgot
Drug addicts, beggars and the homeless
Those whose situation is inevitably hopeless
Permanent consistent hardship
They are on an isolate platform
Constantly hungry looking raw boned
Many resorting to liquor and weed
To get highly stoned
Prayers are voiced in each days struggle
Pleading knowingly for a quick miracle
The Society’s Social classes
What unites us all?
Life!
poem by Sylvia Chidi (17 October 2005)

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Avoid conflict
Conflict demolishes
Wealth house
Avoid conflict.
Conflict perishes
Body Soul
Avoid conflict.
poem by Gajanan Mishra

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Just as the individual is not alone in the group, nor any one in society alone among the others, so man is not alone in the universe.
quote by Claude Levi-Strauss

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