Conformity is not necessarily something to be desired. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean it's always the best way or even the right way. You should never be afraid to do something different simply because nobody else does it that way. After all, if everything remained the same where would we be now?
Route 66 officially came into being in 1926. Many believe this was the first interstate highway.
They would be wrong.
There were actually several improved (if only improved from wagon ruts to leveled dirt) such roads as early as 1913, and some organized even earlier. Most of these roads were designed to allow motorists to travel from one area of the country to another quicker and easier than previously done. The most famous of such roads is the Lincoln Highway, which ran from New York to San Francisco and was officially opened in 1913, over a decade before our beloved Mother Road. In fact, the Lincoln Highway was the first to bear the title 'America's Main Street.'
Other highways ran from various cities to other various cities. In most places they followed existing wagon trails and indeed the ruts were the road. In other areas the ruts were leveled and in some places oil and/or gravel was added to make the road more passable in wet weather.
The difference between these roads and Route 66 was the previous highways were designed to be fairly direct routes. They crossed vast stretches of unsettled land or fenced in private ranch land. As you might imagine, the ranchers were none too pleased with this. It was one thing for the observant motorist to see a gate, stop, open it, pass through, and close it again. It was another thing entirely for a car to crash into a barb wire fence or gate, destroying both the fence and the car and often injuring passengers in the car.
Part of the original concept of Route 66, even before such a designation existed, was a different type of highway. One that connected one section of country to another, yes, but not necessarily the most direct route. The plan from the beginning was for this new interstate highway to connect one town to another. It would still follow existing trails and local roads, but instead of passing through ranch lands it would lead motorists from one town to the next to the next to the next. This new highway would be more befitting a title of 'America's Main Street' because it would literally be routed through town via the main streets. This was a new concept in highway planning, and was scoffed at. After all, who would want to delay their journey or extend their time traveling just to see another town?
Bear in mind, dear reader, the average speed of a horse and wagon was about 5 miles per hour. Towns were regularly settled between 10 and 20 miles apart so that if one needed to visit another town it wouldn't take days. When the automobile arrived with its blazing fast 25 miles per hour, it turned a two day round trip into a one day trip. Why, you could visit TWO towns away in the same time it took previously to visit one!
While early associations looked down on this notion, motorists had a different view. Automobiles were notoriously easy to break. Tires were nothing more than thin rubber tubes and would puncture readily. Having a town not too distant was more of a boon to the motorist. It also meant the car owner would have to carry fewer repair parts and supplies with him or her because help would be often within walking distance.
So it was that Route 66 remained true to the concept of connecting towns and people. It remained true to itself in that sense, and even today, long after it was officially decommissioned the Mother Road still brings people together in a way no other major road did. Even when forced to conform to certain rules and standards Route 66 retained its personality, remaining true to itself.
There will be times you will be forced to conform in some way. Dress policies at school or work. Having to find a job to survive. Driving the speed limit. That doesn't mean you have to give up on who you are. Be true to yourself as much as you possibly can.