Language is also manipulative by its very nature. It is used to delete most of what we are processing in our minds. In trying to explain something we have to delete most of what is going on in our head just in order to communicate with another. We also have to generalize a great deal otherwise it would be a total bombardment of sensory overload. If we don't do these two things we risk the chance of boring someone to the point where they just tune out and ignore us.
When you get just two people together they have to compromise much of what they really think in order to connect with the other person. When you get a large group of people together they are very susceptible to deleting their own thoughts as a coping device that allows them to better get along with others and be normal. While in this state it's easy to sway them, especially if they are under emotional stress. Anger drives the mob mentality. It's a great tool to use if you want to convince people go to war or start a new ideology. Propaganda creates anger by telling stories about how some people from other cultures for example will commit kamikaze for a reward in heaven of 72 virgins. Religion is just another tool to sway the masses. It's not evil in itself. Governments use religion to dehumanize people to the point where they can gather support to take over another land. Next thing I see happening is that Atheism will spawn a new hatred for people in which they will rationalize the destruction of people for "logical" reasons. Anything can be rationalized but it doesn't make it right or true.
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As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.
-Pythagoras
03 May 2009, 2:27 pm
