Going Against the Grain or With the Flow

Growing up, I was often asked (and it's likely you were too), "If all of your friends were jumping off a cliff would you jump too?" This well-meaning question is meant to illustrate the need for one to make decisions for one's self and not simply follow the crowd. However, simply doing the opposite of the majority is just as dangerous as following the crowd. Sometimes the crowd gets it right. Sometimes the voice of the people make the right choice.

A trite example: a music artist releases a song that most people enjoy, yet some individual remarks that it's too "mainstream". They will likely go on to say that they used to listen to this artist before everyone else but now that other people like them, they have moved on to other, more obscure musicians. In an attempt to free themselves from the masses they simply confine themselves to doing the exact opposite of what there friends, neighbors, and coworkers do.

We would be wise to examine our decisions from multiple perspectives before making them. Why not listen to the song and decide for ourselves whether or not we like it, independent of what everyone else says? I would also submit that God will help us "know whether to fight, flee, or go with the flow." 1.

So next time all of your friends are standing at the edge of a cliff, don't jump just to be different.

Unless of course, you're at Lake Powell.