Here at Radical Conformity I’m always alert to sharp thinking that reveals deeper risks.
This video discussion by Courage Is The Cure and Michael Ginsburg – which I first shared in my earlier note A Simple Way to Raise Awareness of Digital ID – prompted this muse.
In corporate life, every good strategist works to minimise single points of failure – in supply chains, data systems, and operations. It’s standard practice.
Yet society, in its rush toward Digital ID, is doing the exact opposite – consolidating everything into one fragile hub of access and control. One hack, one glitch, one policy change, and everything stops.
The lesson goes far beyond digital identity.
Radical Conformity means building redundancy into your own life – multiple sources of stability, connection, and fulfilment. The only system that can safely have a single point of failure is the human body.
- Income. Far too many people depend on a single source – one employer, one major client, one fragile stream of income. When that dries up, they freeze. The antidote is diversification – develop parallel skills, create alternative value streams, and always have something that cannot be switched off by someone else’s decision.
- Purpose and Passion. A retired friend of mine had one major hobby – theatre. He was on stage or behind the scenes several times a week. Then lockdown came. Curtains down. Within a month, he was miserable. If your identity rests entirely on one pursuit, you’re one disruption away from despair. Spread your passions – even lightly – across different fields.
- Relationships. Too many invest in narrow circles – one mentor, one tribe, one source of validation. When that link breaks, their world collapses. Broader networks create resilience – not shallow contacts, but diverse, trusted connections that open perspective when one door closes.
In short, design your life like a robust system – not a fragile one. Freedom doesn’t come from control – it comes from structural resilience.
Make sure to review the principles of Radical Conformity. These will help you shape your life, in your own terms.