Charlie and I went to Austin’s ‘Linchpin’ meeting Monday night.

A ‘Linchpin’ meeting is the creation of Seth Godin who wrote a book by that name. If I remember correctly he blogged that this would be a good way for us to meet each other. And I did meet some interesting people, a couple of whom I hope to keep in touch with.

What struck me as totally ironic about this gathering of ‘indispensable’ people is how quickly they agreed to form teams to do a group project demonstrating how important it is to think for yourself. WHAT???

I thought we were all supposed to be forging our own path and blazing new trails. A lot of people at the meeting were using Godin’s terms and phrases to describe their work situations. One person suggested the meeting agenda and everyone else marched right behind. Monday’s meeting was proof positive that people yearn to conform, not think independently.

When I talked to my dad on the phone this weekend and told him I’d hiked barefoot in the Smokies, he ended the call by saying, “You are certainly your own person.”

I don’t need a book to tell me how to be my own person. I can’t help but cynically wonder if the real purpose of these meetings was to bolster book sales.