Herd Mentality and Mavericks

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect. Romans 12:2 GNB

Man is a gregarious being living in large groups called societies. Man so grows up in social contexts and in them finds the supply and satisfaction for all his needs. Societies are dynamic mediums where trends materialize every day pulling followers in all sorts of directions. With regards to this, societies could be seen very much like moving shoals of fish which, moment after moment, change the direction of their aquatic movements and go in different directions always as a one body. Social trends, like shoals of fish, call for man’s fellowship and provide him with group direction and personal excitement.

What is a trend though? If you observe a shoal of sardines, or for that matter, a pack of African gnu crossing the Serengeti, you will realize that, at some stage, some heads move in a particular direction and then a quantity of others move in the same path, therefore creating a trend that the rest must follow. In human societies, sometimes some people take the initiative of doing something new or renewed and they do so at a risk of initially being seen as eccentrics. Then, if sufficient people follow that lead, and if it’s perceived that most will follow, it may become a trend. It could be said at this stage that trend movements are inherent in human societies and that in them some lead and most follow.

People in a trend have a status: some are trend setters and some are early adopters, while others are laggards. Of these, the trend setters are the most valued and it is a nice compliment to say to someone doing something extraordinary: “you’re a trend setter.” I think that the trend setters are the leaders of this world and they generally look proud. The early adopters are also very proud because they see themselves as being able to spot a trend when it is still incipient and follow it immediately. In my opinion, early adopters could do well in the stock market. Laggards, on the other hand, are always too late for a trend and their status between trend followers is low. In a Portuguese joke, someone kept the fabric for a business suit at home, never actually sending it to the tailor, because he was waiting for the latest fashion.