By Gabriel Bernales
There is no greater tragedy than a follower who believes they are being saved and a leader who refuses to admit they are lost. While individual ignorance is a struggle, shared ignorance is a catastrophe. This is the paradox we inhabit: a collective momentum fueled by individual delusion.
On the internet, we often curate our own biases, surrendering our algorithms to engagement over accuracy. We follow “leaders” who are merely louder, not wiser. The result is a digital parade where the loudest voice sets the pace and the rest of us follow the noise—straight toward the cliff’s edge.
The cost of this descent is compounded by a cycle of noise that never dies down because everyone is too busy to look beyond their own horizons. The true tragedy of this blindness is the momentum we build before we inevitably hit rock bottom.
This is not just a personal mistake; it is a systemic failure we continue to perpetuate. We must stop blindly following the hand on our shoulder and ask: are we actually moving toward a goal, or are we simply settling for the bare minimum? Seek out diverse voices. If everyone is standing in the same line, you are likely in a tunnel.
Ask the difficult questions, even when they are uncomfortable. Adapt to change, as growth cannot exist in stagnation. Most importantly, challenge the status quo.
We cannot always control who stands in front of us, but we can control whether we keep our eyes closed while we follow. If we refuse to look down, the ditch is inevitable.
