The man of intellect suffers

How many opinions have died because they contradicted the majority view! Collective thinking causes a person to dissolve into the group, even to the point of abandoning independent judgment. This concept was linked early on to the study of crowd behavior, and one of the first to address it was the French scholar Gustave Le Bon, who observed that an individual within a group may behave in ways that differ from their personality when alone. I recall a story of a teacher who posed a question in class. A student answered correctly, but most of his classmates confidently chose the wrong answer. The student hesitated, then changed his answer to align with the majority, only to discover later that he had been right from the start. His knowledge was not at fault; rather, he was defeated by group pressure. Arabic poetry has long highlighted the value of independent thought, as Al-Mutanabbi said: “The person of intellect suffers in bliss because of his intellect, while the companion of ignorance enjoys ease in misery.” Thus, intellect is a blessing when it leads its possessor to think, not to imitate. Examples of collective thinking include people rushing after rumors, imitating widespread behaviors without scrutiny, or judging individuals because the majority did so. In such cases, the error becomes collective—not because it is correct, but because it is common. What disturbs me most about this pattern of thinking is that it grants the multitude authority over truth, making people fear disagreement more than they fear being wrong. Consequently, questions are marginalized, criticism weakens, and decisions are made that everyone may later regret. A final psychological note: perhaps the most beautiful thing to conclude with is that mental and intellectual well-being begins with the courage to question, not with the comfort of conformity. Strive to ensure that your mind leads your convictions, rather than following the voices of others.