I am living because everyone else is!!!!
@mysticalecstasy (472)
Pakistan
May 22, 2012 10:59am CST
My friend and I were sitting around chatting when a fellow colleague saunters up his to us. The person looked positively haggard. He slumped in to the chair next to ours. I inquired about his health. His state was quite frankly worrying! But he said he was fine and then sat a little straighter and started asking about what we were talking. So i brought up the topic which was why people do certain things. And then i questioned him about certain habits of his and he said he did it because everyone else was doing it. I was deciding whether to laugh or cry but when i looked at him closely he seemed quite earnest! And the only reaction i ended up showing was that of shock! I mean here was a well educated, mentally and physically stable person providing me the "everybody else is doing it" line as justification!
This made me bring my life under the microscope and see if i had also used this justification. I am left wondering whether this persuasion of ones self that everybody else is doing it actually works! Do you think this is an obsession, a kind of OCD?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
22 May 12
I have made a lot of efforts in the past to be an ordinary sheep in the flock and to do what others were doing. I reached my height when I bought football season tickets. The fact is that I am not interested by football : I was just doing it because "everybody else is doing it". I think that to be happy, you have to be hidden, and there is no better disguise than to look like everybody else : it is the best survival kit that I know.
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
22 May 12
I kind-of understand the " happiness is being hidden" part, because if you are not noticed, then people leave you alone and do not bother you, which makes some people happy. On the other hand, if you are hidden and unnoticeable, then some people that you might want to notice you do not have the opportunity, so it can be a double-edged sword.
1 person likes this
@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
22 May 12
I am confused! Happiness is in staying hidden? How?
1 person likes this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
22 May 12
I don't think that I really use that excuse unless I just want to do something ... but then I usually say "because I want to do it" rather than "because everyone else is doing it", although I suppose that there might be times when I want to do something because everyone else is doing it as I want to spend time with them and do not want to be left out of the fun.
@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
22 May 12
Left out of fun! Yeah but then thats the excuse in itself!! You wanna join in the fun!!
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
22 May 12
Well, I guess that is a good point that fun is an excuse in itself,
but then again why would I want to do something that everyone else is doing if it was not fun?
but then again why would I want to do something that everyone else is doing if it was not fun?@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
22 May 12
To fit in!!! That would be Sir Top's excuse and i guess for lack of a better one mine too!!!
@shaqziad (655)
• Malaysia
22 May 12
In a way, i sort of understand that colleague of yours way of thinking. to be like everybody, i'll do what everybody do. this is especially done by people that likes to blend in with the society. or one that would like to be considered normal, by the society's standard. i know a friend who learn how to bake just because everybody in the neighborhood keeps exchanging home-made cakes.
@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
22 May 12
Yes! I suppose that would be one of the reason why people just hop on to the bandwagon!! Baking!! Well my mother would definitely love to live in this kind of a neighborhood if only to get me to learn baking!
@JHkerriokey (105)
• United States
22 May 12
everyone else is doing it as it pertains to "certain habits" could be almost anything. From I jump off bridges to smoking. When it is said of things like going to college, learning to drive a car, or watching TV then i would say that "because everyone else is doing it" is a solid justification. i feel I can say this with hard core knowledge because I don't watch TV at all. You should see some of the looks I get when someone asks me if I saw some popular show and i tell them i don't watch TV. It's as if I'm supposed to because everyone does.
@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
22 May 12
You should check out the twitter rage i started when i had no clue they were talking about a certain actor!! Certain habits pertained to what the guy did!! Not unsavory just norm for him to do it without a good solid reason and for me to question them!!
