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. . . . . . . . . . "Jason Becomes a Fanatical Moderate"
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Jason
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I think I may finally be losing it. I fear that my stance as a hard-
line moderate may have finally crossed the threshold to fanaticism. Could
it be that my philosophy of moderation is consuming my personality? Will I
preach a religion of Moderatism from the street corners? Will I lead
medium-sized protests on Washington, shouting the slogan "Maybe, Maybe Not"?
Somehow, I doubt it. Oh sure, I can be out there on my soapbox
preaching like a right-winger in a land full of atheists, but I don't think
people will follow any philosophy and/or religion that exhorts them to
carefully look at the evidence without prejudice and then decide on a best
course of action. People like quick fixes! They like something simple
like, "Do not mix milk or dairy, because I say so." It seems that people
will do anything they can to shut their brains off and follow any dogma that
happens by.
They don't even take the time to choose a decent dogma, either. From
what I've seen all it takes is one person with fanatical belief and a very
big mouth to lead the sheep into his/her own personal slaughterhouse. This
is especially true if the preacher is able to relate what he's saying to the
audience, but not necessarily. From there, the belief system, no matter how
flawed or idiotic (Marxism, Naziism, The Heaven's Gate Cult) will spread
just like a disease. This mental malady will spread from person to person
as they try to convince loved ones and acquaintences of the One True Way
they have discovered.
It doesn't have to be an earth-shaking, profound belief, either. It
can be something simple and stupid like the continued belief in the Loch
Ness Monster or the conviction that whales lay eggs (one dumb broad actually
believed that!). Of course, it's easy to refute most such silliness, but
good luck trying to convince them.
One thing is true for dogmatists: No matter how much evidence you dig
up, they will not be swayed, because they've wrapped their entire identity
around their doctrine of choice. Creationists are a SUPER example, but even
better examples are those Muslim nutcases who insist that their chicks must
not leave they house, work, or show their faces in public. Although I've
never had the privilege of reading the Koran, I have heard that there are
many more passages implying male-female equality then those that imply
otherwise. You'll never convince those guys otherwise, though, even if you
got God himself to come down and tell them so.
Alternately, people tend to believe in what they want to believe
because it just makes them more secure and happy with life. People who
believe in an afterlife believe so because they can't handle the idea of
dying, whereas atheists DON'T want to believe in an afterlife. A great
example of that is one of my Christian friends who insisted that most
people, especially non-Christians, were doomed to hell, but that he KNEW
that he was safe. I've never met a religious guy who said, "Man, I think I
might be going to hell." This is also evident in the political arena where
people vilify and beautify a candidate based on nothing but their
preference. Still more proof: when the Soviet Union fell apart, one
political part chose a rational, truthful approach that pointed out that
things would be hard for a while, but that they would gradually improve.
Naturally, they lost to the ones who blew smoke. Just goes to show you that
people like a liar who can perpetuate their delusions more than an honest
dude who will break them. Take Hitler, for example....
I can say this, though: ignorance truly IS bliss. Since I set my
brain from "stun" to "deep-fry" and started looking at everything
critically, you kind of get a sense of the futility of it all. You see that
happiness is usually a result of direct self-deception, when you choose to
ignore all of those things that might just make you unhappy. Happiness is
also the immersing of one's self into a group, thereby sacrificing their own
identity and being able to forget all of those bad things in their own life.
So, in light of that sad truth, would it be wrong of me to try to shatter
people's illusions and also their happiness?
Fuck no! That's not how fanatics think! As a fanatical moderate,
and I DEMAND that people think once in a while! That mushy gray thing
serves more of a purpose than filling the vacuum in your head! It's more
than a receptacle for other people's beliefs! If you don't do what I say,
then I'll look at you crossly and shake my head disapprovingly!
Sigh. I've totally lost it.
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. anada 102 by Jason (c)2000 anada e'zine .
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