When survival depends on fitting in, rebellion becomes a luxury. A reflection on why conformity feels safe and why we must still dare to imagine beyond it.

I’ve come to understand why many African adults unconsciously play the Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Adapt formula. It’s not about imitation for its own sake, it’s about survival.

Most people from middle to lower-income spaces are not chasing dreams; they’re trying to stay afloat in systems that don’t reward risk. When survival is the goal, you learn to fit into the system that ensures it.

You become careful, strategic, and compliant not because you lack ambition, but because the price of rebellion is too high. You don’t take “crazy risks.” You don’t question authority too loudly.

You just learn how to play the game make a few smart passes, observe the flow, and stay in motion like Kevin De Bruyne threading passes in midfield. Because in this reality, you’re not Superman you’re only human.

And in the hustle for daily bread, survival often trumps courage. Is It harmful? Absolutely.

This mindset kills creativity. It breeds silence where there should be innovation. It teaches people to “fit in” instead of “stand out.”

Over time, it becomes a collective hypnosis a subtle belief that the system is too big to change. And so, generations adapt to broken systems instead of fixing them.

But Is It Necessary?

Also yes. When the cost of failure is hunger or shame, conformity becomes intelligence. You can’t ask someone to take a leap when there’s no safety net below

For many, survival is resistance a way of outlasting chaos. In this context, blending in is not cowardice. It’s strategy. It’s waiting for the right time to move. It’s learning the system from the inside so that one day, you can quietly rewrite it, that’s if you want to.

The Real Lesson

We need to evolve from Monkey See, Monkey Do to Monkey Understand, Monkey Redesign. We can’t afford to just “adapt” we have to innovate. To challenge, even softly. To play smart, but also play bold.

Because while survival is necessary, it’s not enough. We owe ourselves and the next generation more than just survival. We owe them the courage to imagine beyond it.

Written by Raphael Arthur, a bored young man stuck in 3 hours Accra Traffic and decided to write something for vibes.

Reflections on survival, conformity, and quiet revolution in African systems.