<p>Is it always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others?
(This was given a 12) 
Throughout history conformity and using the ideas of other have led to the downfall of many cultures and civilizations, as well as unspeakable crimes of humanity. So it is always better to be original and think from an individual, analytical, and objective perception without any previous bias. Philosophers Hannah Arendt and Frantz Fanon clearly emphasize the problem with the human condition of conformity, and in Herman Hesses Siddhartha Hesse portrays the importance of having personal experiences.
Hannah Arendt, one of the first to examine the events of the Holocaust as well as Nazi Germany, found a terrible discovery of the human psyche when submissive to conformity and impersonal concepts. She came to the conclusion that when humans are given orders and are told to conform, they feel no responsibility or guilt towards their actions because they are simply following orders. Arendts concept is know as humanitys Banality of Evil, and Arendt states that it can only be overcome by an individual able to analytically think and come up with original ideas.
Frantz Fanon, one of the greatest philosophers and influences of the entire civil right movement, saw the destruction of culture through imperialistic imitation and declared that conformity leads to the degradgation of humans because two unequal classes were produced: the imitators and those being imitated. Fanon believed that if the natives of lands influenced by imperialism did not retain their own unique culture then they would face a struggle of continuous subjectivity towards the imperialists. Ultimately, Fanon believed that unique culture led to creativity and originality, and that these traits could be destroyed through imperialistic submission.
In Herman Hesses Siddhartha, a Buddhist story about the path to enlightenment, Hesse proclaims that enlightenment can only be achieved by personal experience, and that following impersonal doctrines of enlightenment are useless. Hesse shows through his use of literary artistry that those who learn how to personally experience the wonders of Earth will be able to understand and be content with lifes mysteries and even death. Siddhartha learns that all he has been taught is the teaching of the doctrine of social constructs, so he decides to attempt to overcome the bias of society, and personally discover what is meaningful in life through his original lens.
Imitation and conformity has been the cause of great social injustices throughout history, and the path of originality is the path of true, personal happiness and understanding. Hannah Arendt and Frantz Fanon show the flaws in imitation, while Herman Hesses Siddhartha shows the importance of personal experience and originality.</p>