Not Destitute

 

 

Eric Hoffer, on Page 11 of his book, The True Believer, writes of motivates the masses to undertake huge change in their lives and the world, when they are naturally lethargic and fatalistic. I will quote this paragraph and then comment on it.

 

Hoffer: “                                               6

 

For men to plunge headlong into an undertaking of vast change, they must be intensely discontented, yet not destitute, and they must have the feeling that by possession of some potent doctrine, infallible leader or new technique they have access to a source of irresistible power. They must have an extravagant conception of the prospects and potentialities of the future. Finally, they must be wholly ignorant of the difficulties involved in their vast undertaking. Experience is a handicap. The men who started the French Revolution were wholly without political experience. The same is true of the Bolsheviks, Nazis and the revolutionaries in Asia. The experienced man of affairs is a latecomer. He enters the movement when it is already a going concern. It is perhaps the Englishman’s political experience that keeps him shy of mass movements.”

 

My response: This is a rich summary. People are born fatalistic, and find change painful, hard work and uncomfortable, so they avoid it most of the time. Change is useful and helpful, but we avoid, as people, changing too long, and then we change completely or utterly at breakneck speed. The fallout to society and people can be catastrophic.

 

Our extreme reluctance to change, and then our over-willingness to change wholly right now are excessive approaches to changing but are consistent with the inherent fanatical, immoderate, and irrational approach that humans apply to all problems. To be more judicious, nuanced, modulating and moderate in changing less but constantly would be advantageous but that is not how people think or are wires. Changing in small but  manageable increments without such toxic side effects to change, is a social and adapting set of skills that people need to learn and use. Being herd creatures, we likely cling to customary practices too long, and then go the other extreme and change too much, too fast, too violently, stampeding into the future.

 

As overly conservative herd creatures averse to change, it could be that we historically have required mass movement to come awake and change at all.

 

Note that people must be disaffected, believe all of a sudden in the fantastically improved future. People must be made to feel powerful and in possession of some doctrine, leader or technique that are infallible. Their expectations may be completely unrealistic but these unrealistic anticipations of future benefits coming also makes them willing to take the plunge to bring those future prospects about.