Guest Post by: Laszlo Kövari
One guy says Zuckerberg is totally wrong about identity (for whatever reason); then tons of other guys say: how could he be wrong with $75B (or whatever it maybe at this time) valuation?…or: I wish I could be so wrong, etc.
This pattern is pervasive: leveraging success against all objections. It’s one thing that this reaction / reasoning is simply idiotic. It’s another thing that it is very dangerous: short term herd mentality always is.
The whole thing becomes grotesque when somebody’s success is based on the stupidity/passivity/lack of thinking of a large number of people (let’s call it the mass). Inevitably such “leaders” represent the lowest common denominator in the mass and develop a (false) sense of superiority from this with the corresponding style elements, be it gold chains, private jets, trophy wives/husbands, diamond studded cell phones, etc.: in other words they become clowns.
People with intelligence (which is more than just street smarts) inevitably have integrity: it’s impossible to get involved in acts of stupidity for financial gain. Their voice may not be that loud, their style may not be obnoxious and as such their influence may certainly not be that strong in the herd…
We must choose where we operate (in the herd or outside of it), in what capacity and in what fashion. Going against the herd is no child’s play and one thing is for sure: those outside of the herd have no choice but to change things and they must do it together.
Image by: ILRI
Original Post: http://prakhsis.com/blog/?p=592
