“Being contrarian is actually the most social thing you can do.” This is what I said to Karl just before he laughed.

My friend and co-worker Karl and I were walking down the hallway together, coming back to the office after lunch. Somehow, we had gotten onto the topic of being contrarian.

“How can that be,” Karl asked through the milk he had just snorted out of his nose. “Being contrarian is social?! Explain that.”

“If everyone in society is running in one direction,” I said, “the last thing society needs is for you to run in that direction, too. The job of running in that direction is already being filled. And what’s more, it is being filled by a lot of people. No, what society needs is for you to run in the opposite direction and tell everyone what you see there, because no one is doing that yet.”