Its hard to decide on which is the safer option, which is more convenient.. or yet, which is the more favorable situation to be in; is it to be a follower, or is it to be a leader, a thinker, and an innovator?
Before any details are presented, or any opinions, it’s important to better understand the background of where i come from when i compare the two… The way i have observed society, and the way that people interact with life and with the way they set themselves against it is -generally- categorized in two sections… The ones that choose to follow – and they are the vast, vast majority; and the ones that choose to lead, the ones that aren’t afraid to question and aren’t resistant to change. To put it more simply, and to use an ancient analogy: the sheep vs. the shepherd.
The way i see it, society cannot progress or develop without the help of those that choose to break the wave, those that use Descartes’ rule to “question everything”. The norms of society remain stagnant without these ‘iconoclasts’ – as they would be perceived, that come in, even under disdain and negative reaction, and bring about new ideas and mindsets that forever alter the values of the given society. Although, of course, it’s much easier to be a follower, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t a person want to glide through life, without much worry of the outcome of society’s behavior, or the aftermath of a unchanging mindset; there would be less stress, less pressure.. and more so, less chance of remaining on what seems to be the edge of a cliff dropping down to insanity.
The answer, to me, is quite simple, and i will answer it in a question form. What would you rather be… a sheep, or a shepherd?
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May 19, 2008 at 10:52 am
Krysh
Fascinating topic M, I currently live in Dubai, previously in Canada & Europe and though been exposed to all 3 very different cultures one thing remains true throughout; sheep.
It’s much easier for people of our generation to be sheep. Being processed straight from the conveyor belt is a much safer feeling. Though the mind of a sheep is in complete denial of being a follower, it’s a more of a feeling of acceptance by the rest of the herd.
Very few are shepherds because shepherds are risk takers, and risk takers are frowned upon by the sheep unless proven successful. If the courageous path leads them to a new patch of untouched fresh grass they are praised, but only then. If the path leads to grass already occupied by another herd or dry, burnt grass then they are considered failures often scorned by the other sheep and slowly forced by discouragement to return back to the herd, the safe place.
We’re constantly bombarded with what is considered acceptable, cool, and highly valued. And I’m not going to sit and blame negative media because the media is not forcing us; we choose whether or not to be influenced and give it any significance. In the end it’s the individual and their strength whether to be accepted, in the comfort zone of the other sheep or courageous and risky like the shepherds.
May 25, 2008 at 9:57 am
GinaP
I don’t see many choosing to follow the herd. They simply do. The operative word here is “choose.”
The one who chooses is the one who examines every option available, or at least tries to, and then decides. The chosen path may be the one everyone else takes, or it may be different. But it is the rare person who actively chooses either.
I have many reasons for believing this based upon a lifetime of reading social history, philosophy and sociology but it is really late and I cannot craft a good explanation right now. I will sometime in the future, but I leave this with you.
Keep on writing!
June 25, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Anas
Salaaaaaam guys,
Well after having a quick read on it, some things automatically popped in my mind.
Let’s see, well…
Life is not black & white. The feeling i get here is that either you’re a follower or a leader. A sheep, or a shepherd? But one question is where is the gray in all of this?
I do believe that a lot of people just choose to follow blindly, because it is the appealing path, the easy, more secure, “safer” path. I learned to respect that, even if i don’t like to live in that manner myself. Still it is their choice to live that way and i have my choices on how to live myself, therefore, we have to learn to accept that and sometimes you can sit-down and actually admire how easy it is for them, how simple it seems to be for them to follow, to believe, and to have faith. I mean really, what’s wrong with that? If they are happy that way, then let them be, i guess that works for them. We have to emphasize to ourselves the point that it is different for other people, what makes me happy might be too little for you, and so what makes one person believe, might be not enough for another, the other might need more time, more research, more info, BUT does that make the 1st guy wrong? Stupid? Or even blinded? Depends from case to case, but who are we to judge, right? =)
At the same time, there are people who are not blind followers, who actually do question, do search their options, are aware of their options and therefore they make their choices. If their choice coincides with the majority of what the people have chosen, that doesn’t automatically say that they are sheep, that they are blind followers, that they’re not leaders or thinkers. If that is the case, and that is a person’s opinion regarding this category of people, then they’re simply being stereotypical, right?
Therefore, this is part which i would call gray. Not everything has to be black or white.
Society needs unique people, thinkers, leaders, if everyone was a thinker or a leader, then there will be no uniqueness in the matter, no big thinkers. I think that is part of the balance of a structure of a society. Human nature pushes people to be led, to follow, etc, and at the same time you need some of the other type, the thinkers, the risk-takers, the leaders, and both together make a very healthy community, society and subsequently country.
June 25, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Moadh
I completely agree with most, if not all your points.
In regards to the gray area, i apologize if my piece seemed too bipolar! There are those that believe what they believe, and it just happens to be mainstream; it doesn’t make it wrong and it doesn’t make it ‘sheep-ful’! It’s really not a game of numbers, but more of a game of awareness; as long as you’re aware of what you believe, what you choose to do, then so be it. Added to that, if what you do puts a smile on your face, then i, and no one has a right to object.
As for the leaders vs. followers point you made; i think history has shown us nothing else… There always are the majority that follow a certain path (and are usually against any change, until -with time- the change proves to be beneficial) and then there are those that come in, mess around with things and create a new perspective.. What would the role of an iconoclast be if not that?
Thanks for your comment big brother.. :)