No strength in number

Flock together, and you shall remain safe. Nonsense! Whosoever brought about this concept was 

a) A coward

b) Weak

c) Stupid. 

Many might refute to the perspective that you are safer in number. One might imagine a flock of sheep huddling together, each trying to move to the center of the herd to "feel" the safest. If what they are up against is not so much a fierce adversary, they might lose one, two or maybe three of the herd's members. But what if they are surrounded by an entire wolf-pack? That too the hungry types? Yes, the one closest to the center will survive the longest. But it shall perish eventually. 

Well, that was as far as sheep go. But what about us, men and women? The way we are being socially conditioned, more-so our men, we too have fallen for this notion of strength in men. This is when our environment hasn't exactly changed from that of our animal-fending ancestors. And if there has been a change in the environment, there has also been a corresponding weakening of our physiology, because of the apparent absence of imminent threat. Specially with all the sitting around that we engage ourselves in.

In reality, the "Each for thyself" rule remains true, irrespective of the situation one finds oneself in. Besides, if there is an idea that you need numbers for, to show the strength of the idea, then the idea is fundamentally weak. And no matter the number, a weak foundation will perish, just like the herd of sheep mentioned before.

By no means do I want to derogate the act of asking for help. For, asking help is part of the process of growth, provided of course one doesn't entirely develop dependency on the source of help. But when it comes to group-dynamics, a group is only as strong as its weakest link, just like a human body. No matter how much of weight you can curl up with your hand, if you have weak legs, it won't be long before your weakness surfaces, allowing the adversary to leverage your weak spot. In the realm of martial arts, the sport of Judo beautifully leverages the architecture of the human body, specially the range of motion of individual joints, spots of vulnerability in every human. 

When it comes to human groups, there is only one that comes to my mind, who won by the virtue of their number. They were 300 in number, but according to myth, could withstand an army a thousand times their size. Quite obviously, I am talking about the spartan warriors, their group which has been made popular through books and movies. Each of the 300 men, considered descendants of Hercules, brought down many an army. They were one for all, and all for one. But it doesn't stop there. Each man in that group WAS THE GROUP! Each was as strong as the other. None of them even an ounce behind the other in terms of strength, agility, integrity nor bravery. Their strength multiplied, not added up, when they came together. And as the movie 300 depicts, just one out of the 300 defected, bringing demise upon an until then,unstoppable, indisputable force.

If 1 and 1 makes 2, i.e. any collaboration between two parties, the collaboration won't make sense, wouldn't be to anyone's advantage. Only if 1 and 1 make 11 does a collaboration make any sense. Or else, it is a lot better to stand and face the music all by yourself. That is because, at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, everyone will be all too busy protecting themselves, rather than caring about what is happening to the next person. So it is always better to make oneself stronger, rather than cower behind someone else. 

Another thing what I want to touch upon is the exact opposite of what I just wrote about. We have been made to fear almost everything that happens around us. Many of these things are absolutely natural, non threatening and harmless, and rather exciting. Sadly, our fear-conditioning has caused us to mistake the stimulus that causes excitement, for that which causes fear. This is perfectly understandable as the physiological response to both fear and excitement is very similar. Quickening of the heart-beat, hence the spike in blood pressure, a result of release of adrenaline in the blood-stream, and also testosterone(in guys). Basically, it all feels like a triple shot of espresso, giving all its jolt at once!

It feels all too overwhelming. Ever felt the relief after such an episode has gotten over? Phew! Goodness gracious! You literally thank your heart for not having fallen apart! But if one can harness that feeling, that rush of blood to the head, it is THE most gratifying feeling to experience, no matter how silly the situation may seem after all the rush has worn off. And believe me, in most situations when we feel that rush, the situation is usually a silly one. Just that we have made a very big deal out of what happened, more so what "We think" just happened. 

I figured a way out of such situation. Before you experience the full blunt force of the adrenaline rush, think for a second if the consequence of the situation will cause you bodily harm, or whether you will come out alive after the situation persists no more. If you know you'll survive, don't bother running from the situation. Enjoy the experience of feeling your heart pump blood into every cubic centimeter of your body. The poor heart beats for you all its life. You owe it some acknowledgement, specially if it beats harder out of excitement.