Reject the herd and be cast to the bowels of hell

For many centuries, much of human behavior has been driven by the fear of becoming an outcast from the herd. 

Our primitive instincts remind us to keep the spirits happy, keep the tribe’s nest warm and safe, and show allegiance to the chief and the clan. 

Lest we’re banished into the wilderness to go die a horrible death. 

But in the past few decades, there’s been a shift. Now the popular opinion seems to be:

If you’re not an anarchist revolutionary contrarian who’s escaping the corporate grind to start your own business and fight conformity and rebel against the status quo to create an unconventional career on your own terms so you can cash in on your passion…

…then you’re a fucking loser. Your life is bereft of meaning. 

You must reject the herd, or be cast to the bowels of hell. 

Southpark wrote a brilliant television episode about this very issue. Stan asks his new gothic metal friends: How do I join your gang? 

To which their leader replies:

If you want to be one of the nonconformists, all you have to do is dress like us and listen to the same music we do. Plus, drink coffee. You can’t be a nonconformist if you don’t drink coffee. 

It’s such a bizarre inversion of social shaming. People are ostracized and judged for not rejecting the herd. They’re shamed for not being a sovereign nation. As if the world only belongs to the ruthless, the radicals and the destroyers of all that has gone before, and if you’re not part of that tribe, off with your head. 

This mindset bothers me. Because there’s no conformity committee that says we can’t embrace the herd in one part of our lives, while fighting the status quo in another. 

It’s not a binary. We can do whatever we want. I’ve run my own business for sixteen years, but I’ve also held a number of other day jobs as well, both part time and full time. 

Because I’m not religious about how I made my money. I want to be smart about providing for myself, making whatever arrangements are needed in order to be fulfilled. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Should you quit your day job to follow your dream, or try folding that dream into your everyday life?* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.