True, the group mind, or on the other side of the coin- mob mentality can be a beautiful or a terrible thing. In either case it is the variations in perspective that allows it to be effective. It is easiest to complete a task when it is approached from many angles, and it is easiest to approach something from many angles when there are many people to approach it.

Our realities aren't always positive, for some they certainly are, for others they certainly are not many people live in various sorts of dysfunction in many different degrees, and based on how we approach our personal sets of programing determines that degree and how it is dealt with by the each individual. Negativity in some cases can be easy however the quality of the state seems... Diminished... In comparison to its opposite. To each his own

The case of society rejecting difference is an unfortunate thing but only applies to certain areas. Usually, a person gets defensive of their beliefs when they are challenged. Why do Republicans and democrats bicker? How about Religion? As you said, Beliefs are put into question. And people feel the need to defend them. Foot ball teams and food preferences however, those are accepted as ok because it is personal preference not belief. Light, by nature, possesses all color, darkness, none, the more color we have the better. We should appreciate all of them. That doesn't mean paint your house that color, it simply means appreciate its place in the spectrum and accept it for what it is.