  |
| Break Free Of the Herd Mentality (Image Source: www.emilysquotes.com) |
In the words of US army General George S. Patton, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking”.
During my growing up years, my parents would often caution me never to jump to a conclusion or blindly trust someone else's perception and comprehension while making a choice; they would advise that rather I should always thoroughly weigh up the pros and cons myself before coming to a decision. I guess, most of you too would have got similar advice during your adolescent years because as children, we are generally more susceptible to peer influence. But hey, we actually need to follow these words of wisdom in our adulthood too because even as adults, we are still prone to getting easily influenced by those around us. So often we succumb to peer pressure and blindly follow them; in other words, we allow someone else make the decision for us!
Let's be honest, herd mentality (i.e. the tendency to do or behave in the same way as most other people do, without any conscious thought) has now pervaded almost every sphere of life. Haven't we come across parents eager to push their children into engineering, medical or business schools simply because their colleagues' or neighbours' kids are pursuing these courses? But strangely not much thought is given to their child’s own interest or talents or aptitude! They aren't bothered either that not everyone can inevitably get plum campus placements; in fact quite a few of these graduates end up unemployed! The coaching centre with the highest enrollment becomes the preferred choice, overlooking factors like personal attention or location disadvantage. They find solace in thinking that their child is enrolled in a coaching institute that majority of the aspirants have chosen. The presumption is that "what is good for the majority is good for us too". Don't we witness such herd mentality in operation year after year? Even in the consumer world, any product that is being used by everyone, is simply assumed to be good.
"Everyone cheats, so can we..." some people think on such lines as well, believing that they too can get away with it. No wonder we see moral corruption every where around us these days. Bribe-taking officers, corrupt politicians, shady businessmen, unprincipled journalists, dishonest job aspirants with fake educational certificates -- you name it.
It is also often seen that most people impulsively stick to socially sanctioned behaviour or norms simply because they do not want to be the odd one out. They fear bucking the trend and going against the accepted; they do not want to deviate from the path taken by the majority, for they fear that their social standing might take a hit by doing that. And sadly therefore, they also prefer not to ask enough questions or raise doubts, even if they have them in their minds. Unscrupulous leaders (especially those of the political and religious bodies) capitalize on this weakness to bend the masses to their will because such herd mentality inspires blind allegiance. For instance, Hitler had apparently used this tactic during his time. It is learnt that during his campaign rallies, he would always scatter his own followers, sycophants and stooges among the audience and those guys would cheer and applaud vigorously; so also would goad others around them to follow suit. Quite smartly, Hitler also used to film his speeches, realising the power of television propaganda. Subsequently when these speeches were broadcast, the thunderous applause could thus be seen and heard by an even wider audience. The viewers in turn started assuming that since so many people were applauding and approving in unison, therefore Hitler must have been a remarkable and visionary leader who was promoting noble ideas and missions. Thus people erroneously started believing others' perception and misguided opinions about Hitler as the reality. Unfortunately the same mindset persists to this day and people continue to fall prey to such manipulative leaders even now.
This 'herd mentality' (doing what everyone else is doing) is driving people to follow suit, in order to 'fit in'. Haven't we seen people blindly hopping on the bandwagon regardless of the underlying evidence just because it is the current trend? They allow themselves to be influenced by their peers to blindly embrace their choices, opinions, behaviors or even political views, largely based on emotions rather than on rational evaluations. They assume that if so many other people are doing something, it must be okay. But what's actually worrisome in this entire mess is the loss of reasoning. They are content to mindlessly follow the herd without applying their own intelligence while taking a decision! That's the sad fact that today critical thinking is frowned upon.
Actually social mimicry among human beings isn't something new; in all probability, it originated during the primitive Stone Age. Staying with the herd was a protection against the predators and also hunting in packs lent more strength to the group. But that was in the past. Of course, it is human nature to observe and learn from other people around us and it isn't always bad. However if followed blindly, it can make us lose our mental independence and free will, just so as to fit social norms! We need to rather approach our decision objectively, without letting others' decision impact our choice. We should analyze the voices around us but not blindly follow what others say is best for them. We need to weigh all factors to determine what would be right for us. It's only when we look at all of our options, carefully evaluate them and then move forward, can we have confidence in our decisions.
Sure, we all need to feel part of a community. But blindly following the crowd without analyzing or questioning, isn't the right way to go. We should not allow something or someone else make the decision for us! If we allow ourselves to become sheeple, we won't even realize when a Pied Piper would lead us over a cliff! We therefore need to give up this herd mentality and chart our own course if and whenever we are doubtful about the voices around us. So what if it does not conform to the herd’s thinking! I believe, it is better to be known as a lone wolf than being a copycat.
