Great have been the minds that defied the Gospel realities of the world and risked sanity to uphold their beliefs. Spurred on by mere intuitions at times, they successfully impinged on the standard norms of the humankind. Thanks to their persistence, some of the weirdest arguments have, over time, proved to be the most rational ones.

Einstein was publicly reviled by the Hitler regime, especially for his theory of relativity, which only a handful of his contemporaries could comprehend. But today his theories are the basis of modern physics. Similarly, the ideas put forward by the likes of Galileo, Copernicus and Socrates got little currency in their time but have ultimately come to shape the world.

The inability on the part of the interlocutor to convince the mass can always cast a shadow over his innovative thoughts, however great they might be. Even today, when someone comes forward with an unusual argument, we do not readily accept his views. How often have we heard of the refrains: “How can that be possible?” or “That’s absolutely ridiculous”. Hence, as if by instinct, we love to make a mockery of the innovator’s soggy wits.

But had we only considered the opinions of the majority, there would have been no revolutionary change in the course of human civilisation. Even today, how can we be sure that we are not missing out on the fabulous ideas of future Einsteins and Galileos as well by continuing to adhere to the majority rule. Disagree? You are again in the majority, but that does not make you necessarily right. The tendency to believe in the majority is not just limited to the discourse of philosophy and science. It impregnates almost every field of ideas and beliefs. Why go far?

Let’s evaluate the performance of the post-1990 governments, all elected by ‘majority’ votes. Were the masses right in putting them in office? Surely not.

Now we are headed for another revolution in Nepali politics, supposedly endorsed by only a ‘few’ in its initial phase.

So the next time you come across a bizarre proposition, try not to jump to conclusions on the basis of what the majority have to say. Today’s ‘ridiculous’ might be tomorrow’s ‘next big thing.’