EVERYONE IS DOING IT” — THE MOST DANGEROUS EXCUSE
- Madhukar Dama
- Apr 30
- 4 min read

There is one sentence that kills change, protects nonsense, and keeps suffering alive for generations. That sentence is:
> “Everyone is doing it.”
It sounds harmless. But this sentence is not logic. It is not truth. It is fear in disguise. It is blindness spoken aloud. And in India, it is the foundation of almost every unnecessary behavior — whether physical, financial, emotional, educational, cultural, or moral.
Let us examine it from all angles.
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I. THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRAP: WHEN NUMBERS BECOME TRUTH
When someone says “Everyone is doing it,” they are not using truth.
They are using majority as proof.
But reality does not work like that.
If 100 people jump into a river of poison, will you also jump?
If everyone is trapped in loans, should you also trap yourself?
The crowd cannot be the compass.
The truth is not democratic.
Great thinkers in history — from Buddha to Basava — walked alone first.
They were attacked precisely because they didn’t do what “everyone” did.
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II. THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE: HEALTH HABITS COPIED WITHOUT THOUGHT
In India, harmful behaviors are often protected by tradition and crowd behavior.
Eating refined sugar, white rice, and maida daily — because “everyone is doing it.”
Using chemical soaps, perfumes, cosmetics — because “that’s normal now.”
Skipping sunlight, avoiding barefoot walking, sitting all day — because “everyone’s life is like this.”
And then people fall sick, blame their “fate,” and keep doing the same thing.
The body does not care what others are doing. It suffers silently.
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III. THE MENTAL TRAP: OBEDIENCE OVER UNDERSTANDING
Children are trained from birth to follow, not to ask.
“Don’t argue.”
“Just do what others are doing.”
“Behave properly like your cousin.”
“If you don’t study like them, you’ll become nothing.”
This trains the mind to obey fear instead of seeking clarity.
As adults, this creates millions of people who:
Follow trends without asking why.
Choose careers they hate because “that’s what others did.”
Study for degrees that bring no skill or joy.
Mental slavery begins when you stop asking: “Is this even necessary for me?”
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IV. THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE: LIVING FOR OTHERS, DYING INSIDE
When we say “everyone is doing it,” we are often trying to fit in emotionally. We don’t want to feel left out.
This creates:
Fake marriages
Pretend festivals
Forced parenting styles
Rituals with no meaning
Lifelong guilt when we choose differently
A person who blindly copies others carries emotional burden, because deep down they know:
> “This is not who I am. But I’m doing it so I don’t get judged.”
This leads to sadness, emptiness, and even depression.
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V. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROGRAMMING: NORMALIZING THE INSANE
When abnormal becomes normal because “everyone is doing it,” insanity becomes culture.
Examples in Indian life:
Wasting lakhs of rupees on weddings
Feeding children with instant noodles
Taking loans to celebrate festivals
Sending 3-year-olds to tuition
Using smartphones as pacifiers
Bragging about children’s marks, not kindness
These behaviors are not natural. They are psychological programming.
We don’t think — we copy.
And the excuse? “It’s normal. Everyone does it.”
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VI. THE SOCIAL PRESSURE: BONDAGE IN THE NAME OF BELONGING
In Indian families and communities, to question the group is often seen as rebellion.
If you:
Don’t eat sweets during a festival — you’re “disrespecting tradition.”
Don’t buy gold during Akshaya Tritiya — you’re “foolish.”
Don’t enroll your child in school at 3 — you’re “ruining their future.”
The sentence “everyone is doing it” is used like a sword to cut down independent thought.
People are often emotionally blackmailed into submission:
“You’ll embarrass the family.”
“Don’t be different.”
“What will people say?”
So people obey, and suffer in silence.
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VII. THE SPIRITUAL CONTRADICTION: FORGETTING INNER VOICE
True spirituality — across all Indian traditions — begins with inner awareness.
But the moment you say “everyone is doing it,” you throw away your own inner compass.
You may know that fasting helps your body.
You may know that less is more.
You may know that nature heals.
But you suppress this wisdom because the crowd says otherwise.
You follow outer noise instead of inner voice.
That is not spiritual life. That is spiritual death.
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VIII. THE FUTURE DAMAGE: COPY-PASTE PARENTING
Children learn by watching.
If they see us constantly say “we’re doing this because everyone is doing it,” they will never learn to think.
They will become:
Obedient but lost
Successful but unhappy
Rich but dependent
Educated but unwise
This is how generational suffering continues.
Not through genetics, but through unexamined imitation.
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IX. THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC LIE: SLAVERY THROUGH TRENDS
Governments and companies love this sentence.
“Everyone is doing it” becomes the foundation of consumerism.
Everyone is buying this product. So you must.
Everyone is voting for this party. So you must.
Everyone is watching this series. So you must.
Everyone is on this app. So you must.
They don’t need to convince you with truth.
They just flood you with imitation.
And the people, eager not to feel “left out,” surrender.
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X. THE FINAL TRUTH: “EVERYONE IS DOING IT” IS THE DEATH OF SELF
This sentence is not harmless. It is the poison that kills thought.
It is how:
Women lose their health to beauty standards
Men destroy their bodies for status
Children lose childhood to career pressure
Elders pretend joy while hiding regret
Entire villages abandon their food and clothes for “modern” alternatives
No one is asking: Do I even want this? Is this good for me?
Because everyone is doing it.
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XI. THE HEALING BEGINS WHEN ONE PERSON STOPS
The truth is simple:
Everyone doing something does not make it right.
Everyone doing something does not mean you must.
Everyone doing something is not proof of its value.
True healing, true courage, true transformation — begins when one person says:
> “Let others do what they want.
I will not follow blindly.
I will do what brings clarity, health, joy, and truth.”
That person becomes the light.
And slowly, others follow.
But not because “everyone is doing it” —
But because someone did it with awareness.
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