Brave When Alone

 I was rereading American Iconoclast by Tom Shactman, a biography of Eric Hoffer, when I had some thoughts about what Shactman wrote of Hoffer on Page 75: "Why had Soviet citizens been able to stand up heroically to the advances of Hitler's armies, but offered no resistance to the depredations of Stalin's secret police? Why had some Jews fiercely fought to establish the state of Israel, while their relatives went in a seemingly docile manner to Hitler's gas chambers? Hoffer posited the same answer for both questions: that the Soviets when facing Nazi armies had been united as a group, but scattered as individuals when facing Stalin's secret police, and that the Jews had been united when fighting the British in Palestine but assimilated and scattered when facing the Nazi secret police."

I believe what Hoffer posited here was correct. People, when united with others in their group, are confident, emboldened, feel forceful and willing to resist, can withstand evil or governmental forces, When people are scattered and disunited, they are easy to pick off.

What are we to conclude from this: that united and group-oriented, then people are strong, confident, assertive and will defend themselves, but that none should live as individualists for that leaves them weak, divided, and easy to pick off?

I do not think that this conclusion, though useful, was one that Hoffer accepted, though he noted its existence: he was just pointing out how people naturally act, that, though individually and naturally cowardly and meek against bullies, attackers, and oppressors, as a militant united in group-member, they can put up fierce even overwhelming resistance.

That groupists will so react, to severe external police or mob pressures, seems to be the conclusion and it is correct for predicting how groupists will react generally to severe, cruel terrorization by authoritarian forces.

The general reaction from advanced, willful, proud individuals would differ markedly. 

I would posit that the isolated, nonindividuating, group-living person separated from his pack, will collapse like an accordion, and is helpless against mass movements, secret police, and totalitarian pressure. Only a few are naturally courageous, without mass movement type ferocious courage as a collective fighting force clashing fiercely against an identified foreign or oppositional enemy.

Were an attacked people, as individuals and as organized units, brought up as individuators and individual-livers, the fierce courage and will to fight back even violently against secret, thugs, mobs and totalitarian opponents would become commonplace. 

It is this fierce desire to conquer any oppressor or vicious foe that we need all American citizens to foster.