Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect. Romans 12:2 GNB
Man is a gregarious being living in large groups called societies. Man so grows up in social contexts and in them finds the supply and satisfaction for all his needs. Societies are dynamic mediums where trends materialize every day pulling followers in all sorts of directions. With regards to this, societies could be seen very much like moving shoals of fish which, moment after moment, change the direction of their aquatic movements and go in different directions always as a one body. Social trends, like shoals of fish, call for man's fellowship and provide him with group direction and personal excitement.
What is a trend though? If you observe a shoal of sardines, or for that matter, a pack of African gnu crossing the Serengeti, you will realize that, at some stage, some heads move in a particular direction and then a quantity of others move in the same path, therefore creating a trend that the rest must follow. In human societies, sometimes some people take the initiative of doing something new or renewed and they do so at a risk of initially being seen as eccentrics. Then, if sufficient people follow that lead, and if it's perceived that most will follow, it may become a trend. It could be said at this stage that trend movements are inherent in human societies and that in them some lead and most follow.
People in a trend have a status: some are trend setters and some are early adopters, while others are laggards. Of these, the trend setters are the most valued and it is a nice compliment to say to someone doing something extraordinary: "you're a trend setter." I think that the trend setters are the leaders of this world and they generally look proud. The early adopters are also very proud because they see themselves as being able to spot a trend when it is still incipient and follow it immediately. In my opinion, early adopters could do well in the stock market. Laggards, on the other hand, are always too late for a trend and their status between trend followers is low. In a Portuguese joke, someone kept the fabric for a business suit at home, never actually sending it to the tailor, because he was waiting for the latest fashion.
Why do people create and follow trends is a question that must be asked. Lets again look into herds of animals: when they compact in numbers and move in a direction or another, they become more able to defend themselves or evade predators. Somehow a pack is a greater body which is more powerful than any individual. I think that this is the feeling that goes into social trends: they are mass movements which become powerful and this feeling is cherished by the follower. The other feeling for the follower of human trends is that it is reassuring to know that he is moving in the direction most people are. This means that followers of trends like the feeling of marching side by side with other followers but it also means that they believe that, because most people are moving in that direction, they must be right. In fact, when investment fund managers comment on a particularly risky stock they bought they might say: "everybody is buying it." So, it follows it must be the right one because so many people cannot be wrong.
The worst thing for a trend follower is, I suppose, not to have a trend to follow. Trendless followers look depressed and lack direction and excitement. Knowing this, the fashion industry as well as the car industry and other industries, regularly produce prototype trends that they propose to the general public. If followed, these trends become mutually gratifying, the followers getting the feeling of a powerful mass movement and the various industries in it making a tidy profit. In fact, the communications industry, as an example, is now trying to create an artificial need for people to buy and use the new 3rd generation mobile phones through advertising campaigns on TV. It does not matter the price of such phones, since we live in an affluent society, what matters for them is that if the early adopters are seen as having a great time then everybody else will follow. And someone will buy shares in mobile phone companies.
A question that begs to be asked at this point is: are all people herd mentality like? The certain answer is no. Some rare people are not. Some people feel rejection with regards to participate in a mass movement. Why they feel this way is probably because they have a very acute sense of their individuality and do not like drowning it in the anonymity of a group. Some people are content with their own uniqueness and with doing what has greater meaning for them also keeping their decision power intact. These people are the mavericks of this world. It should be said that Mavericks do not necessarily contradict trends and may occasionally follow one if they find a good reason for it.
Being a loner is not exactly what most people would recommend you, but the maverick is one. Why it is so is hard to know, but it could be that the Maverick has an innate need to be with himself, an urgent need to work out his intense individuality, to resolve issues and problems and to come up with his own ideas. He could at times be like the mystical hermit who found a way and descended from the mountain to teach, for sometimes other people want to follow and learn from him.
