Uppada Experiment

When I was in engineering college, a few of my friends got together one sultry evening and decided to head to Uppada beach. This brilliant idea came from my roommate. He was a local guy, and we assumed he must be familiar with the location. Without batting an eyelid, I supported the proposal, and a few others joined. It was my first beach visit, and I was very excited. The summer was very severe, and I thought it was a great getaway. I am sure my other friends in the group felt the same.
We started preparations to head to Uppada. As it would be a night visit, I packed a toothbrush and extra pair of clothes as I was sure I would get wet. We met around 8 pm after dinner and proceeded to the main road for a bus to Uppada. The night sky was dark and endless. I could see countless stars above my head, and the starry night gave me comfort and peace. The sound of crickets broke the serenity and quietness as we waited anxiously for the bus on the main road. The public bus services are few after dark, so we had a challenge. We looked at various options — a jeep, a truck or a taxi. As we did not have money, we could not hire a taxi or a jeep. We also thought of giving up if we did not get a bus. One of my friends in the group — I shall call him Strong Voice was keen to take us to Uppada at any cost. As we headed back with disappointment, the last bus arrived at 9:30 pm.
We boarded the bus, and a sense of great relief appeared on our faces. The bus was empty, and a few of my friends sang songs with excitement. We got down on the main road at Uppada after two hours. We reached the sea shore after a two km arduous walk on a metal road past midnight. Again, it was strange darkness — terrifying at times as there were no street lights. Two of us carried torch lights and navigated the minor road, occasionally jumping across small bushes. Some of us had bruises on our legs because of the thorny bushes. I was worried that we would stamp a snake while we were walking. Snakes do show up at night during the summertime.
The beach was unwelcoming. We were disappointed as the beach was filthy and unkempt, and there was no place to sit. The sea did not offer a majestic view, and walking along the beach was not fun. As the sea was on low tide, the waves brought a lot of filth to the shore, smelling dirty. Splashing waters were missing, and damp air hit my nostrils. I expected to fill my lungs with rejuvenating Oxygen, but the scene was very different. There were no sea creatures or birds to see. The cool breeze blew, bringing another depressing smell of the salty water to my nostrils.
We did not know how to get back as no bus was available till 5 am.
All of us wondered why we chose to come. The slow bickering grew louder, and everyone in the group started talking. The usual blame game surfaced, and each one was shouting at the other.
The night taught me an essential lesson that Group decisions always are not the best. I was a creature of conformity, and I looked around at what others were doing and went along with the group. We acted based on the influence of one powerful voice. We decided on feelings, but these feelings are highly susceptible to outside influence. We adopted someone else’s opinion as our own.
An individual tends to have more faith in his decision when the question is easy to answer. My friends making the journey to Uppada didn’t trust their judgement but instead went along with the group believing it was right. No group member thought of the risks involved and a Plan B or a Plan C if the activity fails for some reason.
When people have a difficult decision that may go against their code of ethics, they confirm to the group and even believe that the answer is correct.