Sometimes conventional wisdom is dead wrong, sometimes even dangerous.

An extreme example is slavery. It was once legal and widely accepted, yet completely unjust. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when we follow blindly — when we’re more concerned with fitting in than questioning the status quo.

Don’t be contrary just for the sake of being contrary, though. Be contrary when it’s for the right reasons — when you have good reason to believe the status quo is wrong. Go against the grain when doing so will make things better.

Thinking for yourself doesn’t mean never listening to others. It means holding their ideas in your mind without losing sight of your own. It means listening, but not automatically accepting, and learning from others without parroting them.