Not Going Along With What Everyone Else Believes

First things first. There's nothing wrong in going along with a majority point of view. But it's also ok and sometimes extremely important to go the other way and take a minority position.

Over the years I've certainly done both - gone along with the crowd and when necessary gone in a different direction - sometimes far, far off course from what everyone else was thinking and saying. It has been a curse and a blessing. Marching to a different drummer isn't always fun, yet at times it's invigorating and cleanses the soul.

The real problem comes when we do go along with a view that we know is wrong. It could be a moral, ethical or political position. We've all done it I think. It has to do with lots of things - getting along, not wanting to rock the boat, hoping to get ahead in a career, etc. It happens in the workplace, in neighborhoods, in churches and clubs. There are pressures we all face that determine our actions in certain instances.

I remember times in my youth when I stood by as someone was ridiculed, made fun of or bullied. There are times I remember when I acquiesced to racist comments. I'm certainly not proud of those times. On the other hand, all of those experiences have helped me evolve and become a person who tries to speak up more honestly when confronted by questionable actions or voices. I'm certainly not always right but I try to be thoughtful about issues and statements made by other people. When I think about the people I admire, something stands out. They all have that one thing in common - not going along with what everyone else believes. But there's something else. They're not or weren't grandstanders either. They made their point and took the consequences relative to social status, moving forward or treatment by others. Sometimes they even changed people's minds on important issues.