The Dangers Of The Hive Mind
The hive mind, also known as groupthink, is dangerous. It is best to focus on yourself and to avoid the collective.
Society encourages people to conform. Popular culture tells you to keep up with the Kardashians, influencers, and neighbors. You give up your individuality as a person to get lost in the ocean of the collective. By joining the collective mentality, you enter the hive mind.
It is best to focus on and invest in yourself.
What Is Hive Mentality?
A hive mentality is when someone falls into groupthink. You get your validation by going along with the crowd. Being part of the group can make you feel like you are part of something important or being helpful.
You may have problems making your own decisions. You give up your ability to make choices by listening to someone in a position of supposed “authority.” Within that group, you find answers from someone in authority and those who make up that group.
Following the hive mind is easier than standing up for yourself. It is best to do your own thing. It is best to go your own way.
What Are Some Examples Of Groupthink?
There are many examples of groupthink:
Thinking you must go out with your friends to drink.
Watch sports to keep up with the guys.
Watch the latest television show that everyone is talking about.
Thinking that you need to be part of a political team (Republicans, Democrats, et cetera).
Being a band fan and identifying yourself as part of their fanbase(Swifts, Beliebers, Deadheads, Barbies, and Maggots).
Can you think of another type of groupthink? Leave it in the comments below!
Another example is thinking that college is needed for success. There are plenty of ways to be successful without going to college. Yet, society and people often tell you that college is required to succeed.
The Internet, digital courses, and just being able to educate yourself on whatever you find of interest and then discover a way to monetize it will set you apart from most people who go to college.
Related - 12 Reasons Why Young People Should Not Go To College
Leaving The Hive Mind
The best way to leave the hive mind is to start to know yourself and invest in yourself. You can begin to know yourself by spending time in solitude. Contemplation is a vital way to start to learn more about yourself. Another way to practically try new things is to learn about your interests, skills, and passion.
You can learn more about yourself by:
Figuring out what you enjoy and do not enjoy doing.
You can find your passion or obsession.
Something that you want to do to make money from.
Learn to think for yourself.
Learn critical thinking skills.
You can discover your passion/obsession. You can then find a way to make money from it. You can continue to make someone richer as an employee or go into business for yourself.
You can also start learning to think for yourself by questioning basic things you are told to take for granted. Or to believe something because it comes from an “expert” or a well-known talking head or influencer.
You can learn essential critical thinking skills. Basic critical thinking skills include being able to have a civil debate, argumentation, and being able to recognize logical fallacies.
You can then invest in yourself through:
Self-education.
Health.
Relationships.
Skills development.
Personal development.
Increasing your income.
Self-education is one of the most critical skills of self-made millionaires.
You can focus on your health by dieting, exercising regularly, and going to the gym. You could go for a walk every day.
You can spend time with your friends, family, and people you enjoy in your community.
You can work to hone your skills. You can become a master of a set of skills to separate yourself from others. You do not need a fancy degree to show you are skilled in something.
All of the things I learned to do I did on my own, not in college: digital marketing, writing a book, Amazon Ads, copywriting, and sales. None of my college classes taught me those skills. I learned them because I was interested in them.
I did invest in some digital courses, but those were outside of college. They are from successful entrepreneurs in their own niches. Those were the people who I wanted to learn from, not from a professor.
As an employee, you have a maximum threshold that depends on your field. In some careers, you may be able to live comfortably off of that. In other fields, you may not even be able to get by due to wage stagnation, inflation, and the cost of living.
You always want to look for ways to increase your income. That could mean taking on a second or a third job. It could mean starting a side hustle. The problem with side hustles is that you may not enjoy them and only do them for the money. That means you may not be able to do them long-term.
The better option is to figure out what you enjoy doing. You can then turn it into a business. As you learn business skills and earn revenue from your first one or two products or services, you can then expand by delegating tasks you do not enjoy to create more products and services. You can then build an entire team around you. You can make a business around your obsession.
With the Internet, you can reach anyone who uses the Internet to purchase from a larger online store. A business no longer needs to only cater to a segment of the population in the town where it is located. Monetize and build a business around your passion to leave the job you may hate.
Secure Single’s Algorithm recommends:
Self-Responsibility Crisis And Self-Ownership In Professional Life
12 Strategies To Save Money At The Grocery Store During Inflation
Summary
You can continue to be a member of the hive mind. Or, you can start to go on a journey of self-discovery to discover what drives you. Only you can know that. Society and the group mentality can prevent you from learning about yourself.
It is then up to you whether you want to remain in the employee model or take a risk and move to the business model.
Your life. Your choices. Your rules.
Become A Secure Single.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback on Amazon.
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Interesting article, well explained. It’s so easy to get lost in group thinking, but if you focus on what you personally enjoy, the way to go gets so clear.