Fanatics Are Not good...

Being a fanatic is not good. Actually, I am not referring to a sports fan, although these can also be rather obnoxious at times. Whenever the concept of fanatic (non)reasoning comes to mind, it is usually wrapped around a political or “style of life” story and/or its contributing characters.

Those who have had the opportunity to exist (and the word “exist” is willfully utilized here) under a fanatically driven government, know that  the mere definition of the phrase “fanatically driven” excludes any and all who may harbor the probability of thinking/acting in any other fashion than what that particular leadership espouses.

Complicated? Not really.

Most who read these posts have lived under a stable government during their lives. Being this your case, you have come to learn, understand and accept that what is important are the core system and the structures that support it. When something does not work, if enough people agree, there is a process by which to change that which is deemed incorrect. It is called a vote, not to be confused with an insurrection. The individual who happens to be the Steward of the System at any given time, cannot self perpetuate; the system itself will not allow it. And this is good.

Then, there are the rest of us, who have lived at one time or another under an example of a personal cult oriented leadership; where there is no system and the unspoken motto is: “adore your leader and don’t ask questions”.  The structure, such as it may be, is built around one person (this happens even in some countries where there are elections) and, for as long as this person is at the helm, his/her word is law. Unquestionable and undeniable. If you are against it and voice these thoughts your personal well being may be at peril.

I have had the chance to experience two types of extremist fanaticism, from opposite ends of the scale. Obviously, whichever agrees with your personal viewpoint will be deemed “more reasonable”.  It truly isn’t. Extremes of any kind are all exclusive and leave out far too many people, thoughts and ideas which would be beneficial to the whole when incorporated into the balance.

My level of concern regarding this concept has increased lately. Yes, in our own USA we are being barraged very day with extreme views of one kind or another, the gist being that if you are of a different mind, you are the enemy. Guess what? I may be of a different mind, but I am certainly not the enemy; the real enemy is the one who refuses to listen and understand that society, as a whole, cannot afford to ignore any faction from within. Any one of these factions could actually have a viable answer or the power to create havoc, when ignored long enough.

This USA is made up of people who have come from just about every other country at one time or another. An Argentinean friend tells me that when they joke about their ancestry, what is usually said is that they all descended from “ships”.  In this great country of ours, we could easily say the same for most people. There are, at last count, some 128 different languages, tongues and dialects spoken… in the city of New York alone… (not including the Brooklyn accent variant) How can anyone say that because a person and his/her family think differently, or come from one “stock” or another, their lot in life is to be better or worse than someone else’s?  As far as I know, we only used to talk about “stock” when describing cattle; last I looked in the mirror, and even though I had gained some weight, I was still far from looking like a Hereford cow.

Unbridled fanatic behavior has been the undoing of more than one civilization along the centuries. It has also been the direct cause of more than a few wars and, in this I would definitely include religious fanatical behavior, not just political greed. In fact, some of history’s worst massacres have been directly or indirectly caused by the religious type of fanatical behavior.  

But, do we learn?

Left, Right… even center fanatics cannot simply preach their brand as the only one; it happens to be one of many and not necessarily the only one with reasonable and viable ideas. The ability to reason has been one of evolution’s greatest legacies; the ability to look and also see; to hear and also to listen and to be able to put two and two together without a harangue from a third party. In fact, harangues are usually without much base; they tend to be an emotional and not a rational call.

Somewhere along the way, one of my repeated concepts is that the greatest gifts Our Creator has given us as humans are an incredible brain and the mind that uses it.  Why don’t we? Has it become all too easy to let others do our thinking? Is it too complicated to at least follow the news headlines to know what is going on? Is “political correctness” stopping us from asking the right questions? Are we letting screamers do their thing because we are afraid to talk back?

Look at these questions; they are not so difficult or strange. Give them some thought and then awaken yourself to the task of being able to talk, to listen, to discuss issues openly and to exchange thoughts and ideas, especially with those whom you may have considered abhorrent. Try it; you will surprise yourself with the results. And you may surprise others also…

Be Well… Be Back!! 

People Communicating... What an idea!!!