Thhe "True Believer" Problem

 A long time ago in the university a series of professors Assigned us to read Eric Hoffer's book, "True Believer." I also took a profound class called "Social Control" with a very deep-thinking professor.Aldous Huxley wrote about this too, particularly in the extreme , such as the swastika waving masses at Hitler's events, the red flags of the early communist movement In Russia, 

Pretty much anytime we see people emotionally driven, in one group or the other, we see people in the sway of propaganda and tools of mind control. We see it when people get hysterical about political or news events. We can tell which channel they're watching. There are channels promoting left and right positions. Depending on which ones a person watches, they can get riled up over whatever the talking head says.

I saw a small example of that yesterday when my granddaughter went to get the mail for me. I had political mail  On one side there was a colorful large card attacking a certain candidate for this and that.  There was an equally colorful and large card on the other side expounding an absolutely opposite statement about that candidate My granddaughter held them up and said which one is true? She had a quizzical expression as she raised them.up in her hands. Obviously, both could not be true for they were 180° apart. 

 If I do not have personal direct knowledge of something, it is difficult for me to know which if either holds the truth. That applies for most things. If we take a newscaster's word for it, we forget that they're just reading a script written by someone that has an agenda, on a station that has an agenda. They're no longer just reporting news they're trying to make news and sway people's minds. The same thing with advertising, with programming, and so much of modern life.

Sometimes I see television commercials where one candidate talks extremely negatively about his or her opponent's point of view. He or she believes this or that. I want to tell them that don't want your assessment of the other person. I want to hear from the other person what they actually believe and say. It really irritates me when they're trying to speak for someone else. Perhaps that's born in my experience, when other people try to speak for me and say the opposite of what I mean.

If we got caught up so that we are exceptionally emotional about a "cause", we need to look carefully at what's going on in us. Our emotions lead us away from our higher brain functions and our abilities to think logically. 

For me, it's important to be as control of my own mind as I can be. It is important for me to not be controlled by others, but to use my intelligence, logic, and God-given wisdom to make decisions, and to act from a deep place. 

I recommend,  before jumping off the deep end for any cause, take time to meditate and contemplate, read something from the other side's point of view, and balance everything in yourself. Ask for guidance. Weigh everything. Stay calm. And participate in life fully when you know that you considered everything and have a deeper understanding, not just slogans.