Fanaticism

 

On Pages 82 and 83 of his book, The True Believer, Eric Hoffer discusses how fanaticism interects with mass movements. I quote him and then respond.

 

Hoffer (H after this): “                                60

 

It was suggested in Section 1 that mass movements are often necessary for the realization of drastic and abrupt changes. It seems strange that even practical and desirable changes, such as the renovation of stagnant societies, should require for their realization an atmosphere of intense passion and should have to be accompanied by all the faults and follies of an active mass movement. The surprise lessens when we realize that the chief preoccupation of an active mass movement is to instill in its followers a facility for united action and self-sacrifice, and that it achieves this facility by stripping each human entity, of its distinctness and autonomy and turning it into an anonymous particle with no will or judgment of its own. The result is not only a compact and fearless following but also a homogeneous plastic mass that can be kneaded at will. The human plasticity necessary for the realization of drastic and abrupt change seems, therefore, to be a by-product of the process of unification and of the inculcation of a readiness for self-sacrifice.”

 

My response: Change must go forward so where a people fanatically resist it, when they do cave, they are frustrated and ready to immerse themselves in a mass movement to serve as their new compact cocoon where the self is forgotten. Then the change is total, often violent, and certainly disruptive, chaotic, and lawless.

 

H:  “The important thing is the estrangement from the self  which is a precondition both to plasticity and conversion, almost always proceeds in an atmosphere of intense passion. For not only is the stirring of passion an effective means of upsetting an established equilibrium  between a man and his self, but it is also the inevitable by-product  of such an upsetting. Passion is released even when the estrangement from the self is brought about by the most unemotional means. Only the individual who has come to terms with his self can have a dispassionate attitude towards the world. Once the harmony with the self is upset, and a man is impelled to reject, renounce, distrust or forget his self, he turns into a highly reactive entity. Like an unstable chemical radical he hungers to combine with whatever comes within his reach. He cannot stand apart, poised and self-sufficient, but has to attach himself wholeheartedly to one side or the other.”

 

My response: Altruism-collectivism, the evil ethical code, is the ethics of the true believer. As he is estranged from the self, he become turbulently passionate, for frustrated; as a passionate exister, he is at war with the self, so he must abandon the self. Now fanaticized and out of harmony with his own self, he seeks out a movement to blend in with and disappear inside of. He will fanatically support whatever directive the guru issues, and he is ready to die for his cause.

 

H: “By kindling and fanning violent passions in the hearts of their followers, mass movements prevent the settling of an inner balance. They also employ direct means to effect an enduring estrangement from the self. They depict the autonomous, self-sufficient existence  not only as barren and meaningless but also as depraved and evil. Man on his own is a helpless, miserable and sinful creature. His only salvation is in rejecting his self and finding a new life in the bosom of a holy corporate body—be it a church, a nation or a party. In its turn, this vilification of the self keeps passion at a white heat.”

 

My response: When the self is in harmony with itself, it is at peace and contented. The self is more logical than sentimental, and more dispassionate than passionate. The demagogue and guru running and growing the mass movement lie constantly on several levels to recruits. They refer to the independent, self-sufficient self as evil, deprave, miserable and sinful, when, the truth is the opposite. It is the selfless, the passionate fanatic or self-loather, so united and self-sacrificing for his holy cause, that this pious adherent is evil and cruel. The more he hates his self, the more passionate he becomes internally and about fighting for his one true cause. The more passionate he is, the more he lies and his whole existence is a lie. What is stoic and moderate in the harmonious self is just and sensible individual at peace with himself and the world.