Before examining the pros and cons of complying with a majority, you must first determine if you agree with that majority or not. To do this you have to examine all of the knowledge and information available to you. This way you can develop a fact based personal opinion on the problem. 

 

There are pros of blending in and going along with decisions made by the majority.  Often times when more people are involved in decisions the group will gain more information from many different points of view. This increase in diverse information allows the group to develop an increased number of alternative solutions to problems. 

 

 

Applying this concept to your survival group, having weekly meetings to see how the group would proceed is a great idea. This keeps everyone on the same page and lets everyone feel like they have a voice in the group decisions. It also helps group members understand the rewards and consequences of the decisions they are participating in. 

 

Another pro for majority decision making is that for most people a democratic input system is much more acceptable then a dictatorship. No amounts of information should be hidden from the group members. The individuals need to have the facts in order to make educated suggestions to solve group problems. 

There are cons to majority decision making and just going along with whatever the group decides is right. The first and most obvious problem is when a majority feels one way and an individual doesn't it can leave that individual fearful of what other people are thinking about them and they may remain silent about their opinions. They won't want to speak out because of this social pressure. Losing the voice of these people is catastrophic because one idea can be a major game changer in any situation. If an idea is powerful enough to stand up to opposition it needs to be heard. The best decision may not always have the greatest number of voters but if one person decides to voice their opinion it may change everything. 

The second major problem with majority decisions is if the group can't come to a general consensus they may chase their tails around trying to work with all the decisions at once. When this happens very little gets accomplished because each side is so so deeply pitted against the other, which brings us the the final major issue with majority decisions: They can set people against one another. Making sweeping rules for vast amounts of people often leaves groups unsatisfied and feeling cheated and voiceless. This leads to anger and hatred of one another. Smaller groups are often more successful at reaching an agreement and then one of the smaller group representatives can relay that decision to the larger group.

Personally, George says, don't be afraid to be a leader. Take ownership of your tribe while hearing them and understanding their issues. It will give you confidence, strength and allow your individuality and those of the individuals in your group to blossom. Work hard in your personal life so you can create admiration but never close your ears to the people who are there to help, even if the idea seems outrageous. In the end, think for yourself. Take the time to do your homework so you can understand issues that are important to you. Only then can you carry on a truly educated conversation about a topic that is backed up with facts and not beliefs.