Why I've Been Leaning Contrarian

Up to this point I've talked about my beliefs as well as why I hate groupthink. I want to discuss with you now why I believe being contrarian has helped me grow.

I can remember the first debate I participated in during my economics class. I had to defend raising tax rates. Quite a task for myself as my personal beliefs at the time didn't exactly mesh too well with this theory. Not only was I ill-prepared, I was 100% uncomfortable with speaking in crowds. My grade definitely reflected that fact.

We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made of us.- Jean-Paul Sartre

I look back now and see myself wasting a valuable opportunity to learn and grow from that experience. Even if I didn't agree with the discoveries I would've uncovered, I still could have used that knowledge as a way to further increase my side of the argument. I get it, entering the beginning stages of contrarian thinking is downright frightening. While it's frightening, I can say with full confidence that I've noticed something happening within my mindset. I've noticed I've become more confident with my viewpoints. I've witnessed this because I'm conducting more research on topics I'm not 100% sure I know about. While I gain more knowledge on the subject (see this post) I start to realize, I've thought this way for awhile, I just didn't know how to express my thoughts clearly.

It's funny what can happen when you start to have more confidence in your viewpoints, even if they are different.  I've noticed more people listening when I speak because I'm more confident in what I'm saying. I've even noticed a few of you following this blog ask me for my next post. All of this has come to help me realize that maybe thinking differently isn't so bad after all. As I've said before and will certainly say again, don't stymie your creativity by simply accepting the status quo.


Please feel free to share these posts and also to comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

"Truths" I've come to hate

So in the first couple posts you've come to know my hatred of accepting the common belief as fact. You've read my rants on groupthink and how it damages us as a collection of individuals. It's about time we start exploring some of my own beliefs so you can get a better picture of my annoyance with this subject. Below you're going to find several things that absolutely drive me insane.

1. "When are you getting married"

Many of us have been in a long term relationship with people we care about. I currently am in one myself. This question pisses me off to no end. Why can't two people be in a happy relationship without hearing this stupid freakin' question. Why do you freakin' care when I'm getting married? Just be glad that couple is happy. This question leads almost too perfectly into my next item of hatred.

2. The wedding ring

If this isn't the biggest freakin' sham I'm not sure what is. This stupid, shiny rock that is only good for likes on Facebook and Instagram is the biggest freakin' joke on the market. This timeless tradition (which started in the 1930-1940's fyi) of buying a shiny rock to prove your love for someone has been conditioned into our society for decades now. Just the other day I over heard my girlfriend tell friends of ours a story about two young girls she used to watch, they were 4 years old and 2 years old and already knew that they wanted a diamond. THIS IS ASININE, how is that even possible?

3. Buying a home

Ah, the ultimate status you made it. The best investment you'll ever make. A place where you can paint your walls any color. The ultimate money pit. The worst investment you'll ever make. Buying a home is a waste of time and resources. I'm sure I'll get comments on how could you say that? and "blah, blah, blah, equity" but the fact of the matter is plenty of research is done on home ownership. Home prices don't rise to keep up with inflation. You dump 2-4% of the homes purchase price on repairs every year you own the home (on average). The average homeowner lives in their home for 7.5 years, not nearly long enough to build any sort of meaningful equity. You have property taxes, could have HOA fees, could have PMI, homeowners insurance and the constant money pit of repairs. Don't forgot the fee once you sell that house that you'll pay your real estate agent. "Throwing money away on rent" isn't a bad thing, we've just been conditioned to believe you haven't "made it" until we own our place of residence.

4. Keeping up with the Jones or FOMO

Ah, another great time tested conditioned belief. With the current state of social media and over sharing, our society has become obsessed with sharing everything we're doing. "Look at this video from the concert I'm attending." "Here we are at the local Insert Festival Name here" "Look at this great, expensive meal I just ordered from this brand new restaurant I'm visiting". I could go on forever, and I'm sure you can find your own examples. For now, I'll move on.

These are the major things that drive me crazy about our societal norms today. Feel free to comment below with your own. Please feel free to share this post with others as well!

Why I hate Groupthink

Have you ever been in a conversation and you just know whatever your friends, family or coworkers are saying is 100% wrong? Have you ever challenged them on it? Nine times out of ten you haven't because you didn't want to seem different. Welcome to Groupthink, population of WAY TOO FREAKIN' MANY. I mentioned my hatred of groupthink in my opening post. Before we dive in deeper on my hatred of groupthink I'll drop this quote of Thomas Watson, Jr:

Thinking things through is hard work and sometimes seems safer to follow the crowd. That blind adherence to such group thinking is, in the long run, far more dangerous than independently thinking things through.

Why do I hate groupthink? Did it piss in my Cheerios, did it steal my girlfriend, did it spoiler next week's episode of Game of Thrones because it's an asshole that doesn't want me to be happy? No to all of those but it does have a devastating effect on all of us. That effect is simple, it causes us to stop being creative. Have you ever asked why a task is done this way and you get the stock response "Well, we've always done it this way." Of course you have, then you probably whisper some expletive under your breath and sigh at the stupidity you've encountered yet again.

Better yet, what happens when you propose a solution to a boring, drawn out task that radically simplifies the issue? People are usually shocked. They start to think of you as some kind of genius. They ask for autographs, they want you to kiss their baby, they build bronze freakin' statues in your name. Ok maybe none of those things really happen but they do think of you as some higher conscious being that's capable of great thought.

Don't limit yourself to basic, everyday conventional wisdom. You'll be buried into an oblivion of nothingness and lack of creativity. Don't stifle your creativity, continue challenging the conventional wisdom. It's the only way we Millenials can start impacting the change we want to see in the world. Let's continue challenging the conventional wisdom and live in a world we envision, not one laid out for us from previous generations. 

I'll be posting every week on Tuesdays. In my next post, I'll be sharing a few major topics that I'm definitely against the grain on. You'll want to stay tuned for that post!

Please feel free to share these posts and also to comment below.I look forward to hearing from you!

Introduction

In The Diary of Soren, Soren Kierkgaard challenges the notion of conformity. He knows how damaging it can be. My favorite quote of his on this subject follows:

I will call the attention of the crowd to their own ruination. And if they don’t want to see it willingly, I shall make them see it by fair means or foul. Please understand me — or, at least, do not misunderstand me. I do not intend to beat them… I will force them to beat me. Thus I actually compel them. For if they begin to beat me, they will probably pay attention; and if they kill me, they most definitely will pay attention, and I shall have won an absolute victory.

-     Soren Kierkegaard

This blog is going to push us out of our comfort zones. We're going to be implementing unpopular opinions, early in our careers to help our growth. We'll achieve growth by not shying away from challenging the status quo. This is where we are going to find creative solutions to problems that have long bothered the "sheeple". These problems have reared their ugly, little freakin' heads because of the biggest problem society creates: Groupthink. 

Don't accept something simply because it's a societal norm, particularly if you don't believe it. Question it, question it until you're uncomfortable, then question it until the person challenging your position has to question their own stance. Be better than Groupthink, be better than the freakin' "sheeple".