szb1 – Conformity isn’t just doing what others do, it is being a part of something. Yiddishkeit is about expressing individuality as part of a whole. Each person is a piece that makes up a grand puzzle.
“A bunch of Chumras” is not what makes you Frum. However, each person has their own level of intensity in their religious observation, and accordingly keep Halacha to that degree.
Those who don’t keep Halacha properly cannot call themselves Frum. This excludes certain parts of Dati Leumi and certain sects of Modern Orthodox. Among those, however, who do keep Halacha properly, you will find very many different levels of stringency.
Many many aspects of Jewish Law are open to fierce debate among both the earlier and more contemporary Poskim. In everything, there are those who are more lenient and those who are more strict. For those who feel that Torah is a burden (?? ?????? ????), fishing around for the best “kullahs” (leniencies) is ideal for them. Amongst those who appreciate the opportunity of being a Frum Jew, you will find different levels as well; each person will Pasken like his Rav did. ??? ?? ?? dictates that each person has one Rabbi who he will follow, which sometimes will mean being lenient where others are strict, and sometimes the other way round.
The Hashkafah you follow is generally subject to Mesorah, on the whole. After the subject of Halachah has been fixed, there is a separate issue of Hashkafah (- ideological viewpoint on philosophical issues relating to Life, the Universe and Everything). That is a matter of finding the correct Torah sources for the various different controversies and being able to apply them to Modern day scenarios – something which we need our Gedolim for.