Both Fat B*st*rd and Philibuster said that to be an individual is to be an outcast. I've been reading a bit about native American tribal customs lately, so maybe I'm taking the use of this world a little more seriously than I should.

To be cast out of your tribe - exiled, as it were - used to be the worst thing that could happen to a person. It meant to be left on your own to face the cruel and uncaring world. In some cases, exile was equivalent to a death sentence. It was only done when the individual broke a serious tribal taboo, like killing another member.

I have always been a little "off center" when it came to conforming with a group. I have been kidded, I have been called names by a few goofs, but I have always been able to find kindred spirits. I never felt "outcast" or alone. I never felt compelled to "conform or die".

I would hate to think that that this was true today for these kids. I know it must seem that way at times. There were times when it felt that way for me.