Why Do People in Lines Walk like Penguins?

It’s like asking the same question as “Why is Manila so dark at night these days?” or “Why are there no Mercury Drug branches inside SM malls?” or “What was that sodding noise?” All of which have lengthy answers, and it would require me at least a couple of hours of meditation to produce a sound and acceptable answer for each one.

Nevertheless, why do people in lines walk like penguins, really?

I mean once people start to line up, they somehow lose their dexterity and sway like a gentle breeze is rocking them back and forth. But the real question is why do you do the exact same thing? You know you can walk straight, right? I’m assuming you’re not handicapped that is. Is it because everybody is doing it?

I’ve read somewhere that North Koreans queue to visit monuments most of the time. I wonder what that looks like; thousands of people getting in line, trying to see a fraction of the horizon filled with people who are all as determined as they are.

Doing something just because others are doing it is one of the biggest human instincts there is. It drives you to conformity, and it slowly erases individuality. However, people can get through it. All you need are five things – realisation, acceptance, desire to deviate, dauntlessness, and finally, action. One of my personal mottos in life is to “defy the prosaic.” It means absolute freedom, which can both be liberating and energising at the same time.

It is through taking my life into my own hands, doing what I need to survive, whilst appreciating the simple and good things in life. Of course, decision making is a vital skill in order to achieve happiness, but the problem with most people is that when they are faced with uncertainty and impending complications, they choose the safe way. And that’s not bad, but that’s definitely not good either. It traps them into a sort of limbo where creativity and innovation are kept in chains like wild dogs, prepared to pounce on a curious mind.

I think I’ve gone far off topic. Sorry for the rant.

To answer the original question, it’s conventionality. Hence, defy the prosaic now.