“If everyone jumped off a cliff…”
I remember how my mother used to ask sarcastically; “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?”. This seemed like a ridiculous question at the time, but I now think most people might have a hard time not jumping if everyone really was. Throughout my life I have realized a major flaw in most people that is rarely noticed, and causes more damage than any other. This flaw has occurred in mankind for centuries, and will probably continue to plague our society for centuries to come. This flaw is following, and more importantly a lack of individuality among society. The vast majority of society is made up of followers. They follow others like a herd of sheep, and rarely stop to look at where they are headed. Just like sheep, they are afraid. They stay in a herd because it brings comfort and security. People are followers because of fear; fear of becoming an outsider, fear of conflict, and fear of the unknown. People have always been afraid of being an outsider and live a never ending struggle trying to “fit in”. This goes back as far as elementary school where kids are picked on, left out, and called weird, just because they are different.