Are You A Sheep?

Baaaa. Would you follow the masses or go your own way?

Have you seen the video about a woman entering a doctor’s waiting room? She goes in, only to see a large number of people automatically standing at the sound of a beep before sitting down. No one explains anything to her, and she observes the happenings for a few beeps before beginning to follow the group.

She has no clue about what is going on, but she begins to imitate the behavior occurring around her.

The waiting room progressively empties as each person goes to their appointment (or just leave the room). Even with just one other person, the woman continues to stand, then sit again, at the sound of that beep, even when that last person leaves. Even alone, she continues to stand, then sit again, at the sound of that beep.

When new people come into the room, she’s still obeying the nonsensical rule of the beep. She doesn’t know why she needs to do this, but she doesn’t question it and ultimately teaches it to new people — who promptly start following her lead.

This video epitomizes the blind leading the blind.

The video sparked many a conversation, both on- and offline: “would you follow the masses?” “Would you do something without understanding why you’re doing it?”

Most people aggressively — or defensively — answered “NO WAY! I’m too smart to fall into that kind of trap.”

…I call bullshit. We’re all much more suggestible than our pride usually admits to.

This should stay between you and me, but my answer was a bit different…and probably more realistic.

Here’s what I would do.

I would walk into the space, be confused, and conform to the practice.

You read me right: I would follow the group.

But — yes, there’s a but — I wouldn’t perpetuate it. When the room is emptied of everyone but me, I would stop standing at the beep — it’d feel entirely pointless now that I’m alone.

When new customers would walk into the space, I would observe them to see if they react to the beeping in any way. If they don’t respond to it the way the group before me did, I would not perpetuate a nonsensical practice.

Why this matters.

I’ve recently reentered so-called civilized society after two years spent flying by the seat of my pants as a nomad. Doing so involves lots of bells and whistles, and a newfound need to fulfill responsibilities I had no interest in before. Taxes, amongst other things.

For now, I’m fulfilling the variety of obligations I have — mostly financial, some professional — because I decided to enter a space where there are pre-existing customs. But the day that I exist in a space without ridiculous preset customs, I will not be the person who perpetuates them.

I’ll be one of those people who finds a new way to exist in society — a way that makes sense to me rather than just repeating the old structures that surrounded me.

Change the status quo.

Even if right now you’re living in it, make sure you’re aware of its logic — and that its logic makes sense to you while resonating with your beliefs about the world.

Right now, we circulate in a world that we haven’t made, a consequence of what our ancestors created decades, if not centuries ago.

But if you were given the opportunity to start anew, from scratch, would you do it?

Or would you continue to repeat the errors — a.k.a. habits — of the past?