I am struggling greatly with people lately. I'm not sure exactly why because I knew that in the history of the world many people are vulnerable to group think, manipulation, scapegoating, and all the other crazy stuff that is happening right now with about half the world's population. I get upset because I have people who are in my life who I used to respect and now I don't because they are so blind to the cult leader(s) they are following.
I think it is human nature. Your parents have this authority over you when you are little, and they use Tide detergent, say. Then you grow up and you naturally gravitate to Tide detergent and feel suspicious when you start dating this girl and she uses All. Some of us -- around the age of eleven for many people -- maybe just me -- begin to question the strongly held beliefs of our parents. For me, one of the first times I remember this was when my mom was mentioning reincarnation as a... I don't know what word she used, but she definitely thought it was impossible. I just thought to myself, well why not? If you believe there is a soul that lives in a flesh and blood body, why is reincarnation any nuttier than any other religious belief.
I was the kind of kid who kept these ideas to myself, but she knew of course that I was thinking differently because she could see the books I was checking out the library. She wasn't thrilled with my choice of reading material and she said something, but here is why my mother is my hero -- she did not do anything about it. I was allowed to read whatever I wanted (outside of pornographic magazines which I did manage to get my hands on too).
Maybe I would be a different person if my parents were "helicopter" or made me feel that I couldn't think for myself.
I think I would be the same, though. I'm stubborn that way. Just because someone I love and respect thinks something, I'm still going to look at the evidence and make up my own mind. Thanks to a decent college education (The New School) I also know how to look past the headlines and find evidence. I even learned to detect problems in reliability and validity in those studies from top institutions that are generally the first ones we would turn to to look for the facts.
So that other 50% or more of individuals who are gullible (because of a lack of a specific type of education) seem like idiots to me. And then I am disappointed because these people who ARE INTELLIGENT are comparatively stupid. The intelligent ones are the worst, because in every other area of their lives, they would be those who I might consult. Here, their intelligence backfires because they do not know that they do not know! And they are used to being smarter than everyone.
Does that make sense! This is the same quality that makes a Nazi. I'm not saying they are Nazis, but I'm sorry to say that in another time and another place -- well, I don't even want to say it.
I just keep coming back to Earth here as school. And LOVE man -- LOVE is what it's all about. It's a hippie cliche, but it's true and it's the only way to fight the good fight -- even when that love has to question the wisdom of that friend who has always been the smart guy you want to turn to, but now seems like an arrogant asshole.
Sorry.