We the Sheeple

When discussing Jane Austen’s book Pride and Prejudice, Mr Bingley isn’t the guy people talk the most about. That’s why I want to talk a bit about him in this blog post. As I see it, Mr Bingley shares a lot of similarities with today’s youth. We’re all sheeple.

Sometimes I wonder how much trouble could have been spared if Mr Bingley decided to think for himself. If Mr Bingley had decided to listen to his own feelings and been surer about what he thought was the truth, a lot of the problems in the book could have been solved. If he hadn’t blindly listened to his sisters and Mr Darcy, and gone back to Netherfield after his London trip and married Jane, he could have spared himself, but also Jane and at the same time Elizabeth, a lot of grief.

I’m not trying to say that listening to your friends and family is a bad idea. What I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t blindly trust anyone. Especially if we’re not hundred percent certain that what they are saying is correct. Critical thinking is very important. Listen to the people around you, take it into consideration when you make your decision, but in the end, it’s your decision. Don’t let anyone make it for you, like Mr Bingley did.

This is a problem with the youth today. We are afraid of making our own decisions. We don’t like the responsibility of having to make choices, or we don’t want the repercussions making choices others don’t like will lead to. Instead we follow our friends or family blindly and trust in their every move. But we, as Mr Bingley, need to learn to become independent and make our own choices. We need to learn how to say: “This is what I want. Deal with it.”