THE OUTLIERS - by Oluseyi Vandy

Once upon a time, long ago, before mobile phones, before electricity. A time before nature was tamed, when leaving the safety of your community meant actual life and death (sometimes nature and external forces brought it to the community), only the brave and truly adventurous went out. You may be asking, "Is this tale by moonlight?" "What could concern us with this information?" Well, in that era, there were 2 types and groups of people - The settlers and the wanderers. The settlers stayed in a location, built tents and learned to live together. Eventually, as they grew in size from having more settlers or having a family, they created laws to settle or avoid disputes. This grew into what we now call society.  In those days, only the fittest and strongest ruled because whoever led had to be capable and/or command respect and fear. They stayed together, mostly under this leader's guiding hands, watching each other’s backs, while the leaders enjoyed the spoils and benefits of being the man in charge. Over time out of this community of settlers, their children grew up and felt constrained by the laws and rules of "Don't go there, don't do this." They got restless and decided to risk it all and see what was out there, joining a long line of wanderers before him/her, while others stayed in the comfort of the familiar. These wanderers would either herd animals or have some trade they could survive off of in any land. Then they let adventure guide them, and with the willingness to adapt, they go past the boundaries of the community. They served an important need, which was resources or information. If they returned, they came back with either a new technology (tool for bettering their lives) or some new knowledge none of his/her tribesmen knew. These wanderers and adventurers have always served mankind and like mature always finds a way to evolve or adapt, they are nature's instruments for mankind. They are important because they question things and push forward modernisation. On the other hand, they may never return because they ventured into territories that earned their reputation for being a no go area, their ideas might fail spectacularly and blow up in their face. So those still in society are shielded from that level of harm. This is how modernisation worked, one individual that stood out and dared to be different testing the boundaries of society. Then convincing society enough that they accept or approve using this new technology or information. A cycle of checks and balance that works well for everyone's benefit. We are of an era where everyone believes and wants to be different. Everyone wants to break the mould. Though the times have changed, and being the wanderer is not as risky the consequences are just as detrimental as ever. There is the aspect of anarchy and people seeing no need for the rules which were made to safe guard them, but even more dangerous is the fact that when their ideas are wrong, there is no strong checks and balance from society to protect people from them, because we have already weakened the system. Contrary to the times, not everyone needs to be an outlier, an entrepreneur, a jack of many trades, or special. It is alright to just be a normal or average guy. In the end we are human and we end the same, no one is that special.

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