leaders and followers

I have noticed that there are those leaders who blaze the trail. They lead the world kicking and screaming into the frontier. Then, there are those who are willing to follow, but have little to blaze for themselves. Finally, there are those who refuse to follow, but have no skills to lead either.

What do we do, when we want to learn something? Research what others have done before. The vast majority of things can be accomplished without a deep understanding of the problem or solution; it just requires emulating success. Someone else did the hard work of understanding, and documented a procedure and a simplified explanation that others could absorb and reproduce. That is how humans work. To become a successful trailblazer requires a deep understanding for oneself, but also the ability to distill that into simple explanations and instructions that ordinary people can absorb. The sophisticated knowledge will probably be taken to the grave, but it is the idiot’s guide that will endure the ages.

Ordinary men need traditions and procedures to emulate. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to even feed themselves. Imagine the vast knowledge and investment in thought that was required to invent the cooking recipes that we know today. Many people would starve today if they were responsible for acquiring that knowledge themselves through creative thinking, rather than by emulation. Traditions, rituals, and procedures bring comfort to us, because it relieves our burden to think. Most people are incapable of advanced contemplation; emulation is their only recourse. It also instills a common denominator in a society’s culture, and it binds them together psychologically.

We grow up emulating our parents and neighbors by decorating a tree, putting up lights, singing songs, exchanging gifts, and gathering with loved ones. There is comfort in these mindless activities, because they are familiar and safe. This manner of blind emulation leaves us vulnerable to less benign inclinations, like smoking or religion. Ritualistic activities give me no comfort at all. Tis the season to celebrate the most basic survival technique: mindless emulation.

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