The Herd Mentality...

Cluck...snipp....cluck...

The knuckles make the noise once again as I resume writing after a long time....

Herd Mentality...

A phrase I realized for the first time when I was at a party and the DJ played the shittiest music ever (universal opinion). To my surprise, the floor turned out to be a juxtaposition for any unfamiliar guy in Bombay Locals. Being pushed, Being run down....again and again. The music never ended and neither did the dance.

There I was....sitting in the corner with beer in my hand and the split personality took over. A personality whose questions are never ending and the answers are never satiating, the logic and the rebellion are strong enough to deny any sanity prevailing in the surrounding, the pretense of silence on the face yet far away from even being polite inside and the parallel existence with whom is called agony. Thank god, the beer does not let it last for too long.

But as I feared.....the interrogation with the self began....

What was the pull that acted as the propeller for dancing?? Was it the reluctance in raising the voice asking for a change or the idea of comfort in your own bubble and wait on the moment for an initiative from other ? I don't know. It could have been a Facebook tag and that's one thing I can surely think of. But to my understanding, the preference is never to be a standing sole but to follow the herd with a worn out soul. Just another race of species after all....huh?

The argument on the reality - the truth and then the debate on my expression is not the idea I concur with. Though, I probably have a better chance of saving the democracy from nemesis. Of course, my sarcasm and aggression will consume me sooner than I think. Anyways moving on...the plot thickens and the characters become more loose.

This particular situation is not the only weapon in the arsenal. As a matter of fact, the beauty about this concept is "it's ubiquitous". However, the irony is "the music still does not end".

From the reason of choosing a school for education to the degree of graduation, from the very first steps as a child to the weekend road trips and the run aways, from the list of the companies for the job interview to the selection of the opposite sex for marriage, from the prize of a BMW to the size of a swimming pool, from purchasing a dress for first day at the corporate to the accessorizing and the fashion wear of Saturday nights, from love for the objects to ignorance of the abject, from demands to desires, from dreams to success, from reality to fame, from money to failure, from the philosophies in this mind to the procedure thought to be a way of life...we are always the protege of this concept.

Every reason for an action and every decision made in this timetable of life.

(The word ''every'' of'course presents an exaggeration, but that's what makes the food for thought. At least, this is how the herd said it.)

This could well be the most convenient topic of conversation or rather, the most infuriating topic of argument with someone. And the challenge could be provided with a very simple question "So What?". "So what, if I want to buy a private jet for my daily travel just like Ambani or throw around some money some women and the best party on my private yacht?". "So what, if I want to become successful and definition of success is defined by thickness of my wallet?". "So what, if I want to chase all the gorgeous blondes?"." So what, if my aim in life is the reality TV and being famous?" and this never ending list will only end up consuming time and toilet paper. Or, with a little intellect (yeah at times, I can be judgmental), the argument could be about the semantics: what I am coining as "herd mentality" could very well be replaced with "standard of living"/ "minimal survival" / "satisfaction" or as the prophecy of a confused culture (a gelled hair boy and a mini skirt girl) says "shut the fuck up and get a life".

The answer is very simple: "Without the herd, there is no leader....there is no ruler....and there is no dictator. So do we need more people like you?.....................Yes, someone is counting on your relentless ignorance". While a few listen and learn to comprehend the meaning of life in accordance to the echos from Osho or any ashram, and some are lost in their own hangovers from the previous nights without a date and a time on it....there are none to ask, how we turned into the scentless apprentice.....

"if there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,

It's just a spring clean for the May queen.

Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run

There's still time to change the road you're on.

And it makes me wonder......" Led Zeppelin