Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of our attention, why is that? Because ‘let us remember this again, ‘What we give our Attention to matters.’ Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week again I bring to your attention an excerpt which we have titled – Group Conformity from the book titled ‘Willful Blindness’ – Why we Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril by Margaret Heffernan. This book tries to understand, why after every major accident and blunder, do we look back and say how could we have been so blind? Why do some people see what others don’t? And how can we change? Drawing on studies by psychologists and neuroscientists, and interviews with business leaders, whistleblowers, and white-collar criminals, businesswoman and writer Margaret Heffernan examines the phenomenon of willful blindness, exploring the reasons that individuals and groups are blind to impending personal tragedies, corporate collapses, engineering failures even crimes against humanity. Group Conformity We all assimilate to a degree; society would cease to function if we did not. But one of the biggest risks of conformity, according to the psychologist Irving Janis, is that our sense of belonging (which makes us feel safe) blinds us to dangers and encourages greater risk-taking. Janis believed that, in a group, the pressure to maintain a consensus results in less thinking. Members don’t look for information to confirm or disconfirm. “Selective bias is shown in the way the group reacts to factual information, mass media, experts, and outside critics.” Groups subject to groupthink typically imagine themselves invulnerable. They rationalize warnings out of existence and believe passionately in the moral superiority of their group. Dissent is rare and difficult because self-censorship mostly expunges it and because consensus and unity are deemed the ultimate good. Excerpt from ‘Willful Blindness’ by Margaret Heffernan I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book; you can buy your copy from the following link: https://www.mheffernan.com/book-wilfulblindness.php Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste! a class="a2a_button_pinterest" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/pinterest?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fqsconsultants.