Crowded

Hi.

So odd thing this week - there is no new video post on Science Friday - so I thought I'd post on an older one. But after checking out the site, I found a short video, a "snack", from Thursday:

It seems that for once following the crowd is a good thing. Of course following the majority isn't always right, but there is a sense of safety that does come from following everyone else. There are tons of historic examples where people do the wrong thing because it means that they won't stand out (like the fish do when in lighted areas) - which means they will live for another day in peace.

Just like these fish, there is a higher chance of survival when sticking with the majority, because in many ways going out on your own means you have no guidance and makes you a target for all kinds of predators. But those people are kind of amazing. [Big picture: underground railroad, those who helped hide Jews during the Holocaust; Smaller picture: geniuses whose ingenuity leads to amazing progress and fun things to play with, rock stars]

But it's not easy.

If you think about it, we are told all of our lives to stand out, make an impression, be unique - all in pursuit of snagging an interview, acceptances to higher education institutions, promotions, honors - even finding the person you'll spend the rest of your life with. It's because that first bang of individuality makes a lasting impression.

But being unique or different isn't accepted easily. For example, I know a lot of Indian families that came to the US during the Cold War, when different was bad - different meant the enemy. And many of these people changed their names, let go of traditions and culture to be more American. Even for me, bringing packed lunches filled with Indian food was a chore. I'd never be able to eat without at least one person asking me what I was eating, followed by the comment, "Ew." It was only until later in high school that a select few people were actually interested enough to even want to try and enjoy the food (personally, I say that's because of education and maturity - but that doesn't necessarily help).

The thing is, being different takes guts. You need to have the confidence to look and act in a manner that is novel. It takes confidence to put a unique personality out there. You can't be afraid of the judgments of others.

I think the basic part of being unique is just being able to wear your character on the outside. If you think about it, we all are different even though some people try to be the same - we are different (I refuse to go into the whole different experiences lead to different people thing... Ok, I did a little but that's it.). And part of wearing your character on the outside is being confident in yourself. The easiest way to do so is through your appearance (mind you, flashy doesn't mean unique - unless you are a flashy character ^_^).

Unfortunately, we are constrained by society. We are not all afforded the luxury of isolation - we have to cater to interviewers, the law, and our relations. We are held to standards of the acceptable and appropriate. Our ability to be different sometimes is only allowed to shine if it is within those boundaries. Of course I'm not saying that it can't - but you seem to ultimately face the consequences, be what they may.

It's as if most of society accepts different as long as it stays within bounds. It is a paradox that society lives in: you can be unique as long as you are basically the same.

And the irony of everyone being a unique character is that well, if everyone is "unique", then in the end, no one is. It's like being unique is following the crowd. Who'da thunk? Maybe we all are really just fish stuck in schools.