Matt Taylor is the Problem...

I'm the Problem…

I, Matt Taylor, am a problem. Not in the way that society often labels problems—people who harm, deceive, or destroy—but in a way that shakes the foundations of conformity. I've always been a square peg in a world of round holes. Whether in school, at home, in the army, or the workplace, I refused to do as I'm told, refused to stay in the box that society constructed for me, and refused to bow to authority for the sake of simplicity.

My problem isn’t my own; it’s society’s. From a young age, I challenged the status quo, questioned norms, and disrupted expectations. At school, teachers likely found me exasperating because I wouldn’t simply accept “because I said so” as a justification. At home, my unwillingness to follow the script of obedience may have been interpreted as rebellion. In the army, where order and discipline reign supreme, my instinct to question rather than blindly follow orders probably marked me as a liability rather than an asset. And in the workplace, where conformity often guarantees stability, my boundary-pushing nature may have made me a thorn in the side of managers looking for predictability.

But is being a "problem" really a bad thing? Society thrives on routine, but it evolves through disruption. Every system relies on rules and boundaries, but progress comes from those who refuse to accept limitations. I represent those who don’t conform, who won’t know their place, and who insist on walking their own path. This makes me a problem for institutions that value obedience over innovation and complacency over courage.

Take the police, YouTube trolls, or the Establishment at large. To these entities, I'm not just an anomaly but a direct challenge. My refusal to toe the line unsettles the delicate balance of power and control. To the police, my defiance of authority is inconvenient. To trolls, my unwillingness to be silenced is infuriating. And to the Establishment, my unyielding individuality is a threat to the system’s reliance on a docile populace.

But perhaps the real question isn’t “What to do with the Matt Taylor’s of the world?” but rather, “What to learn from the Matt Taylor’s of the world?” My life and actions shine a light on a critical societal issue: how we treat those who don’t fit the mold. In a world that celebrates diversity in theory, the reality is often starkly different. Nonconformists are marginalized, silenced, or ridiculed because they don’t play by the rules that make everyone else comfortable.

What if we stopped seeing people like myself as problems and started seeing us as opportunities? What if, instead of punishing nonconformity, we embraced it? After all, it is the troublemakers who ignite revolutions, the rebels who inspire change, and the dreamers who build futures. Our refusal to “know our place” is a testament to the human spirit’s unyielding quest for freedom and self-expression.

The real problem isn’t me. The problem is a society that fears those who colour outside the lines. By redefining how we view individuals like myself, we might not only solve the “problem” but also uncover a solution to stagnation, oppression, and conformity itself.