Walking Alone

The wildebeest in the middle of the pack has no ability to affect the herd. It is safe as long as it keeps running. Well, as long as it is not one of the thousands that get trampled along the way.

When you run with the mob, you run a risk. Your intentions might be good and noble. But if the frenzy leads it down the wrong path, you might find yourself in a dangerous situation.

To consort with the crowd is harmful; there is no person who does not make some vice attractive to us, or stamp it upon us, or taint us unconsciously therewith. Certainly, the greater the mob with which we mingle, the greater the danger. –Seneca, Letter 7: On Crowds

Remember as kids we were asked if we would jump off a cliff if our friend jumped off a cliff. If the herd goes off the cliff, the wildebeest in the middle will run off of it, whether they want to or not. The herd with good intentions to migrate to better grazing has gone astray.

It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. –Herman Siu

To walk alone takes courage. You have ask the questions, do the research, and then come to the best conclusions. It doesn’t mean you will always be right, but at least you did the work. And if it means failure, that is okay. Keep failing until you get it right.

The great innovators of the past chose their own paths. Change came in walking alone, rather than going with the flow