Independent thinking?

One of the values that most value investors cherishes is independent thinking. It's a sacrosanct of value investing. What exactly is independent thinking? Let's talk about the opposite first. Dependent thinking is the opposite of independent thinking. We can take a lot of comforts when we have somebody to depend on -- rightly or wrongly. Two heads are better than one surely is right. We however could not escape the universal principle of ying and yang.

Be aware of downside of combining forces. Reciprocal, trust and loyalty are the forces that bind a partnership. Reciprocal could cause a person to compromise their principles. You see how people can give up things irrationally when they feel indebted to certain person. Far more worse, if one of them decided to break that force, the feeling of betrayal will bring far more pains than comforts that they receive.

Herd thinking is not about stupidity but it's about you are trusting somebody or some concept so deeply that you not wish to question. You may thought that it's completely unacceptable to question your partner may get it wrong. You are too afraid to question because it's tantamount to shaking up the foundation of trust, without knowing both of you plunging into a cliff.

It can be scary when you have no one to depend own. You are on your own. You are taking a road less travelled. Thinking of travel in a road less travelled can be frightening. You just pray that you don't get injury. You hear only your own voice when when you scream for help. It's not because of no one will extend a pair of helping hands, it's just because there is NO ONE there. Simply, NO ONE.

Taking a road less travelled will also reveal who you are. You are pushing your limit because nobody is there to push you. It's either you keep going or making a U-turn. Victory or defeat belongs to you alone. No one is there to ridicule you. If you go far enough, you will discover a true principle of FREEWILL. You are doing it voluntarily. You are accountable to no one but yourself. You are free to question everything. You may discover E=MC2 or Everything equals to Mong Cha Cha.