Lemming, or not to lemming

Lemmings are creatures who like to follow their leader. It is known that they will do this to the point of following them off a cliff. They aren't committing suicide, but they do follow one another.

I've noticed that drivers tend to do this, too. If there is a lane that people think is the lane to drive in, even if there are other lanes available, they will follow one another.  Why is this?

I don't want to be a lemming.  When another lane is there, why not take it?  Why not try something different if it gives me freedom to find a better path for me? 

There is great value in being in a group, and Americans don't understand this in ways the rest of the world does. But being in a group just to be in a group, unless it's tied to my identity (and sometimes they are- the church, my family, etc), is just being unintentional and lazy. 

When I have a good leader, and being part of the group is tied to identity, I think it's worth following the leader. Or if I'm the leader and blazing a new path, I need to not lemming. So when it's just habit, and laziness, then it's just lemming. And I don't want that.  That's when we need courage to go forward, not just following the other lemmings.