Going with the Flow
Are you a going-with-the-flow kind of person? If you are, you are likely more relaxed and accepting of situations; you don’t try to alter or control what’s happening.
In the continuing pandemic warfare of who’s-right-and-who’s-wrong, it seems that those who accept what they’re told fare better emotionally and dare I say, mentally than those who demand more information, more data, more explanation, just more logic.
Dr. Robert Malone, one of the mRNA vaccine developers, came into the spotlight during the pandemic because he started warning people about the safety of the mRNA vaccine. I did a search on Google for Robert Malone and was shocked but not surprised to find that Google has labelled him as the “vaccine scientist spreading misinformation” and similar false monikers. Google, after all, has become part of the world’s propaganda machine to push the mass human experimentation of the covid vaccine. But I digress.
My point about Dr. Malone is that he is not a “go-with-the-flow” kind of guy. If he was, he'd be relaxing somewhere and not worrying about the narrative. He’d take his shot(s) in the arm (and he did) and step away into the shadows and live a peaceful life. The fact that he did anything but step away from controversy made me wonder why some people like him would risk career, life, family, and fortune to oppose an establishment against which he likely would not succeed.
What distinguishes the go-with-the-flow and the push-back-against-the-establishment people? Here is what I have discovered.
The go-with-the-flow people simply accept the things they believe they cannot change (seems like a wise saying that I love from Mahatma Gandhi):
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This acceptance is the key difference between the flow and pushback people.
However, depending on the situation, going with the flow can be the difference between a victim mentality and a healthy outlook. In a victim mentality, we choose the situation because it feels safer than pushing forward with an alternative. It’s also easier to blame fate, bad luck, or others for our situations and simply accept our fate. What’s even more interesting though is that all people prefer safety, comfort, and stability – not just those who typically tend to go with the flow. So why do some leave this status quo to fight against the norm and create a collective “disorder?”
Several factors need to be in place to unite independent individuals. History has shown that pushback arises out of feelings like fear, frustration, and helplessness (quite contrary to the acceptance of a flow state). Thus, it only takes one person to be the “tipping point” for collective action (think: Tamara Lich). So, what are these tipping points?
First, there is a lack of trust in government or authority.
If people feel they have been lied to, this creates anger. For example, a 2019 Pew Research Center report stated that over two-thirds of Americans did not trust their government and the number continued to erode into 2020. When people do not trust their government, inequality ensues, and people revolt.
Second, protestors share grievances due to their similar situations (think: pandemic measures, political, sexual, racial, or other factors). Their shared identity built on strong emotions such as fear is all it takes to unite them.
Third, shared grievances lead to shared intensity of emotions. These intensified emotions can lead to protests that are not peaceful. However, non-violence tends to produce better results than violence, despite what many might believe or prefer. The only downside to peaceful protests is that results can take a long time to materialize.
The fourth tipping point is shared proximity but as we saw with the Freedom Convoy, that proximity wasn’t very close since truckers drove across the entire nation to meet in the nation’s capital (thank you, social media). An interesting point about shared proximity is that the more people in a geographic area, the more likely the exposure to inequality. In addition, the closer your connection to people (e.g., family, friends, co-workers), the more profound their impact on you. Does your family support the covid vaccine? If they do, it’s likely that you will, too.
The fifth tipping point relates to recognition. If you are afraid of persecution or retaliation for your beliefs, you may decide to stay silent. You choose your safe flow life. However, if there is little chance of being recognized in a crowd, then you may take a risk and disperse responsibility.
Sixth, if you are one lone voice in the crowd, you may feel like everything you’re doing is a complete waste of time (been there, done that, still doing it). However, when you get support from others on social media or in person, then your lone voice joins a choir of supporters. This volume makes our small act feel more significant and leads to the contagion effect.
I have found another distinguishing feature between the flow and pushback people – the pushback people tend to be more “big picture” thinkers and consider the impacts of situations on all of society. For instance, the Robert Malones of the world would be far better off mentally, emotionally, and physically if they retreated to the shadows and focused only on what is best for them.
From my perspective, I am grateful to these big-picture thinkers who provide a different perspective on the world’s difficulties. Despite the recent censorship of any information that dares to counter official “authority,” these contrarians are the ones that are worth listening to because they offer a view deserving of evaluation to help individuals form opinions of what is true or false.
And, as most scholars will tell you, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle between two opposing views or, even, facts.
And here I open another can of worms – truth. In its simplest form, truth is when your ideas, beliefs, or statements match or correspond to reality. But let’s leave truth and reality as topics for another day.
For now, I wish you a peaceful day no matter if you prefer your personal vantage point and flow or are looking at all of society and pushing for “truth.”
