{"id":48714,"date":"2024-01-07T12:19:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T17:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=48714"},"modified":"2024-01-07T12:31:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T17:31:05","slug":"dont-be-a-lemming-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/dont-be-a-lemming-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t be a Lemming in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
Have you ever played any of those lemmings games on your computer or smartphone? If not, I\u2019m sure you know the trope about lemmings following each other to their doom over a cliff.<\/p>\n
As the term relates to humans, Dictionary.com<\/a> defines a lemming as \u201ca person who follows the will of others, especially in a mass movement, and heads straight into a situation or circumstance that is dangerous, stupid, or destructive.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a trap many of us have fallen into from time to time, often not even realizing we are doing it. The wonderful thing about the last few years and the access we now have to social media is that it has really opened our eyes to how we are being led around by the nose by those in charge. We can see the whole scam for what it is.<\/p>\n But, it\u2019s still easy to fall back into old habits and we have to constantly be checking in with ourselves to make sure we aren\u2019t blindly following along. Here are a few common ways you can find yourself becoming a lemming again, and how to snap yourself back out of it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I played soccer, one of my core tenants was that if I looked around and saw a bunch of my fellow teammates around me, I was in the wrong spot and I needed to get out of there. I have found that a similar approach is useful in everyday life.<\/p>\n When everyone is all running the same way, you need to stop dead in your tracks, look around, and think if you are making a wise decision or just following the crowd. It may be time to turn around and head the opposite direction.<\/p>\n This could ring true for immigration \u2013 if a country is the new \u201cit\u201d place to go, it might be wise to look at your other options.<\/p>\n This could ring true for your career \u2013 if your chosen field is flooded with tons of people with little differentiation, you either need to figure out how to stand out from the crowd or consider doing something else.<\/p>\n This could even ring true for your opinions \u2013 not that you are necessarily wrong if you find yourself in the majority, but it\u2019s a good idea to take stock of the situation and just make sure you aren\u2019t blindly following what others are doing.<\/p>\n By the time the majority is doing the same thing, that thing has usually jumped the shark, so to speak. Being a contrarian is sometimes very unpopular, but it can pay to get ahead of trends and not just be one of the crowd.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I read something very interesting on Twitter by an account I follow called Ethical Skeptic. He said:<\/p>\n \u201cIn those places where direct observation is absent, experts will abound\u2026 No more poseurs. The stakeholder\/sufferer\/observer\u2026 is the expert.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So-called \u201cexperts\u201d, just like any other human, are not immune to acting out of personal interest and biases. It is up to you, at the end of the day, as the person in charge of your life, to make up your own mind about things that affect you and your family.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it is you who will benefit or suffer as a result of your actions, right? So don\u2019t contract out your thinking to people who have no stake in the game. Do your own research (gasp!!) and determine what is right based on your conclusions.<\/p>\n You are the captain of your ship, after all, so make sure you act like it. Don\u2019t outsource your thinking to anyone, even the \u201cexperts\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I find myself doing this on X sometimes. I can literally scroll endlessly, constantly learning more about the horrible things going on in my country and around the world. Good news is few and far between. Next thing I know, not only have I sat there on my butt for waaaay too long mindlessly scrolling, but now I also feel depressed and anxious because of it. This definitely does not put me in the best mindset for interacting with people in real life and going about my daily tasks.<\/p>\n Excessive social media use has been shown to negatively affect mental health<\/a>. Especially when it feels like all the news is bad! You\u2019d almost think it was by design\u2026<\/p>\n Regardless, it is incumbent on each of us to protect our mental health and avoid falling into the depression trap that can come from consuming too much negativity on social media. Here are a few ways to do that:<\/p>\n With everything the world is throwing at us these days, it is easy to become a lemming stuck in a doom loop. So you are going to need to put in the work to stay positive and keep your head screwed on properly. Using some or all of the tactics above is a great way to ensure you spend less time on social media and put a stop to the doom scrolling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to feel excited when a politician or other public figure seems to be speaking your language. When you feel like they are standing up for you, you generally like what they have to say, and they seem to believe in what you believe in.<\/p>\n You see this now a lot with figures like Tucker Carlson, RFK Jr, and, here in Canada, Pierre Poilievre. Coming through the pandemic and even through the last decade, it was easy to feel like Public Enemy #1 if you were someone who wasn\u2019t buying what the establishment was selling. So, it\u2019s both relieving and vindicating to have someone in a position of influence that agrees with you on key issues.<\/p>\n Enjoy what they have to say, but don\u2019t subscribe to any cults of personality just because they are on \u201cyour side\u201d. You don\u2019t want to take these figures on as your new moral compass or as the basis for your personal opinions. Stay critical, look at information from all sides, and form your own opinions.<\/p>\n Otherwise, you are still being a lemming, just off a different cliff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As my parents and I complained about the state of things in Canada over the Christmas holidays, we discussed the corruption, over-taxation, and many other social and political issues gripping the country. We discussed how there is not much of a future here for today\u2019s kids.<\/p>\n The solution from \u201cnormies\u201d who follow the experts? Well, there wasn\u2019t one. They think it\u2019s bad everywhere, hence we should just sit here and take it and not go in search of a better future for our children.<\/p>\n I am always shocked that anyone thinks that I, as a parent, should literally do nothing (aside from being a good little taxpayer investing in mutual funds at one of the Big 5 banks) to build a better future for my kids. It was just a couple short generations ago that people picked up and left their home countries without a penny to their name in search of a better future for their family. Why are people so averse to that now?<\/p>\n But, you know what? I\u2019m okay with that. Because it means that for both myself and for all of you reading this, we are way ahead of the curve in seeking out alternate solutions. And that puts us in a great position to be \u201cin before it\u2019s cool\u201d. Because when things get bad enough, whatever that means, all the people who think we are nuts for pursuing our Plan Bs will be wishing they had been more willing to break free from the crowd.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s just hope it doesn\u2019t take them going over the cliff with the rest of the lemmings to realize it.<\/p>\n Are you ready to chart your own course for 2024? Then you definitely need to subscribe to Escape Artist Insiders magazine<\/a>. Packed with actionable information, you will feel both empowered and inspired to take your future into your own hands and build your Plan B. Break free from the crowd \u2013 subscribe today!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever played any of those lemmings games on your computer or smartphone? If not, I\u2019m sure you know the trope about lemmings following each other to their doom over a cliff. As the term relates to humans, Dictionary.com defines a lemming as \u201ca person who follows the will of others, especially in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":705,"featured_media":48720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[39798,39797,39790,39792,24973,39796,39799,17090,11222,39795,39793,18161,9658,39800,1793,39794,39791,7043,3189,2198],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/705"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48714"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48721,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48714\/revisions\/48721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48714"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=48714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Don\u2019t Follow the Crowd<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t Blindly Follow the \u201cExperts\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Beware of \u201cDoom Scrolling\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Beware the Cult of Personality<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Chart Your Own Course in 2024<\/strong><\/h2>\n