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Herd Mentality

Herd Mentality

If you Google the term 'Herd Mentality', you will find that it's a phrase used to describe the behavior of people where they follow their peers largely on emotional basis and without application of any rationale.

I remember one of those adds where every student is following the other while making a career choice and they are depicted as lambs/sheep to demonstrate that they will land up with nothing in their careers if they follow the herd mentality.

I also remember my school days when our teachers used to tell us 'भेड़ चाल चलोगे तो कुछ नही पाओगे। अपनी सोच रखोगे तो आगे बढ़नें की संभावनाएें बनेंगी।'

The term is always used as a negative term to describe a behavioral trait that one should avoid. And it's considered to be a behavioral trait that will not take you anywhere in your life.

On a thoughtful moment, this whole concept of herd mentality, to be a bad behavioural aspect of human personality, seemed full of falsehood to me.

A herd or parade of elephants is one of the most powerful herds you can ever think of. It's only one senior most female leader who every other elephant in the group follows and they survive for years (probably the longest) in the wild. Do we think that, all those in a herd of elephants, who followed, did something wrong?

A herd of wildbests in the Great African Migration, is a classic example of thousands followings few and surviving. This attitude of following their fellows is what proves to be their greatest strengths for survival in the African Savanna. Can we imagine them surviving if they don't follow herd mentality?

A pack of wolves or wild dogs or for that matter lions follows only one leader and that pack sees success together in the form of survival. Can they survive if they don't follow?

Yes all these herds, packs and groups have one or may be a few leaders but the fact remains that the rest of them follow and only when the rest of them follow, the group achieves great things.

Imagine a world where everyone is a leader and has his/her own thoughts with no one to follow. I'm not sure that is the ideal position.

To my mind 'herd mentality' is based on the greatest emotions of trust and belief. I also think that these emotions can never be considered to be the ones devoid of any rationale. I rather think that trust and belief are the emotions that allow one to make a decision that works for everyone, without leaving anyone out.

Not everyone is a leader and not everyone needs to be a leader. It's perfectly ok to follow someone you have faith, trust and belief in. It's perfectly ok to have your emotions lead you to a decision. It's perfectly ok to be part of the group and not always lead the group.

We humans are social animals and in a society one has to have that sense of trust, faith and belief. All of us, follow someone in our lives for different things. We follow our parents when we are young, we follow our seniors/gurus when we grow a little older, we follow someone even when we are Independent and don't need anyone's support per se.

Following is not always negative, it can sometimes be a powerful and most rational thing to do, even if it means following a herd.
Amol

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