Fitting into a box

Consider these two thoughts:

1. Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky, little boxes all the same. [1]

2. Climb into a box. [2]

Same metaphor, same thought, different opinion about the thought. (Follow the links for complete text.)

The first one is from the song "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds. It's a satire on the conformist attitude of the society, written in the mid-sixties. She aptly points out how everyone is trying to fit into an image accepted in the society and is chasing after a few coveted jobs and a certain type of lifestyle.

The second one is from a recent post in the Harvard Business Review blogs - a piece by Christopher Bowe. A well-written article on how you need to harmoniously combine your various skills to fit into today's market. One key thing he points out is that organization may be in need of a certain persona for a certain role, you need to fine-tune our skills so as to fit the profile needed. The answer to the question "What do you bring to the table?", then, is dynamic and, ideally, it is: "Exactly that which is missing from the table!"

This makes me wonder: Is "Just be yourself" really the best advice you can give someone in the present times? Or "Change, adapt, shrink, grow, transform until you fit" the better approach to survival?

There is something soothing and comfortable about the words, "Just be yourself". They make you believe that there is a perfect four-edged hole where a square-peg like you is fitting in. You don't need to change yourself in anyway, you just need to be patient until you find your hole. However, in a world which is constantly changing, and constantly growing, your chances of finding the perfect hole could only be diminishing. While I am still on a look-out for the correct answer to the question, I am holding on to this thought for solace: "Be aware of your true self, but for the time being, be the peg that would fit the hole. If you are lucky, the box that holds you the best will come along."

Elasticity, it seems, is the new strength.