Choosing healthy directions

~~~ Only dead fish go with the flow ~~~

Of course one is no less controlled who always swims upstream. Being fully liberated, thinking for ones self is being independent of the stream, above and beyond it altogether.

That is more work.

It not only requires more thinking, it moves you away from the crowd. You are an outsider, an independent actor, a free thinker … with much greater exposure to outside threats.

Most humans do not want that for themselves. The few who do are the innovators. They are as important to a healthy society as any member in it and crucial to the long-term survival of their community. They are the ones who explore the fringes and enable adaptation to environmental changes.

The explorers are not leaders, nor are leaders the innovators. Those commonly referred to as leaders nowadays are usually egotists who saw a parade and positioned themselves in the front end. They are in truth simply following the crowd at the edge it happens to be heading. That is not to say they are unimportant or irrelevant, but just that new ideas and directions come from different members of the community.

Each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard the past
— Maurice Maeterlinck — (1862-1949) Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist

When a community confuses leadership and innovation it devolves and dissolves. The center of a healthy tribe cannot subcontract thinking and observation. The mass must choose their society’s direction regardless of where their self-appointed leaders are positioned. The crowd must select among the options their explorers offer.

What we are witnessing today is a very dangerous time for the USofA and this world where the masses have grown lazy and complacent. They abdicated their proper role choosing instead to follow anointed rulers rather than select leaders who are heading in good directions.

We are rapidly approaching an epic battle between tribes who are being aimed at each other’s throats. Their leaders spent many generations building blind followings for this very purpose. Thoughtless savagery against imaginary enemies is growing towards a crescendo that could transform the world in short order.

This is not a good time to be in the middle of the cultural melting pots, also known as population centers.

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If you do not recognize the picture to the right, this essay will explain why it is here.