The Hive Mind

by Matei Archip

Feb 26, 2025

“The only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

What makes every single human being unique?

At the core, it’s a mix of genetics, upbringing, experiences, and personal choices.
Our genetic makeup shapes physical traits, tendencies, and even predispositions to certain behaviors.

But that doesn’t mean we’re predestined to act a certain way.
After all, we’re the ones in control—of our thoughts, our actions, and ultimately, our personalities.

Then, why does it feel harder and harder to meet truly "special" people?

Everyone is special in their own way, don’t forget that. What I’m referring to is the fact that more and more people tend to follow certain cults of personality rather than their own ideas and passions.

It just seems easier in this day and age to latch onto whatever’s already there—predetermined paths, prepackaged beliefs, prefabricated ways of being.

But why is that? Why do people focus more on being likable than being themselves?

Because not fitting in has consequences.

There’s an unspoken pressure in groups—those who don’t follow the norms risk being pushed aside. This isn’t new; it has existed since the dawn of time and still defines us as a species.

But why does it feel like more and more people are choosing to reshape themselves rather than risk rejection?

Because it’s profitable.
It has turned into a business.

We can look at Dale Carnegie’s book: “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Since its release in 1936, it has changed the way people act and behave forever.

At the time, Carnegie’s principles stood out because people weren’t used to kindness and persuasion being tools. Those who understood them had an advantage. But when everyone starts doing the same thing, it stops being special. Now, it’s just the way things are.

And that’s the problem. When something works, it spreads. It stops being a choice and turns into an expectation.

People don’t act this way because it’s who they are—they do it because they think they have to. Being persuasive, being likable, being the kind of person others want to be around. It’s not natural anymore. It’s calculated.

Then, people realize that blending in isn’t enough. They want to be unique. They want to stand out. But if you try to be different for the sake of it, are you really different? Or are you just following another rule—one that says you have to be special?

The Hive Mind Inside the Hive Mind

Even the pursuit of individuality has become a cult of personality.

Carnegie’s book was revolutionary because not everyone acted that way before. That’s what made those who followed it stand out. But fast forward a hundred years, and the opposite will happen—what seems bland now will one day seem unique.

It’s all a cycle.

Trying to be different just because everyone else is the same? That’s just another version of the hive mind.

Is anyone unique at all?

It might not seem like it. Out of 8 billion people, no trait, no idea, no personality is truly one of a kind.

That’s because our personalities aren’t purely our own. They’re borrowed—shaped by the people around us from the moment we’re born. Even if we think we’re independent, everything we believe, everything we do, has been influenced in some way.

But that’s not what makes us special.

What makes us unique is how we see the world ourselves.

Your perspective on this article probably isn’t the same as mine. What I call a cult of personality, you might see as something else entirely. That’s what sets us apart—not surface-level quirks, but the way we filter reality.

My perspective;

Your perspective;

Their perspective;