Hyper Extremes

 

On Page 52 of his book, The Passionate State of Mind, Eric Hoffer has three entries which I quote and then comment on.

 

Hoffer: “          82

 

Everything seems possible when we are absolutely helpless or absolutely powerful—and both states stimulate our credulity.”

 

My response: Hoffer reminds the reader that the masses serving as the grunts or true believers in the mass movement armies are absolutely helpless or absolutely powerless while the guru or demagogue in charge is absolutely powerful, so they could exhibit an attitude of absolute credulity about any absurd proclamation.

 

By contrast a sober individual of self-esteem will be mildly optimistic and always a bit skeptical about the inevitability or infallibility of any human plan or undertaking.

 

Hoffer:  “         83

 

The charlatan is not usually a cynical individual who preys on the credulous. It is the credulous themselves who manifest a propensity for charlatanism. When we believe ourselves in possession of the only truth, we are likely to be indifferent to common everyday truths. Self-deception, credulity and charlatanism are somehow linked together.”

 

My response: The charlatan is likely cynical in part, but much of his persuasiveness is that he, over time, increasingly comes to believe the lies that he tells repeatedly, and thus he is persuasive to his gullible, credulous audience, for he sincerely believes the nonsense that he is preaching them to accept.

 

The group-liver, the nonindividuator, practicing altruist-collectivist ethics, is a creature hiding from the self and from God inside a group in quiet times, and inside a mass movement in more momentous turbulent times. Self-deception and mutual deception with and among other insiders is the way of life. These liars are ripe for the picking for any charlatan or con man to scoop up, ensnare, command, enslave and exploit.

 

As true believers, these liars and fanatics are convinced that they possess the absolute truth and last word on everything. They can be taught anything and will believe anything their leader spoon-feeds them, no matter how contradictory, bizarre or unrealistic it seems to be so obviously to any outsider.

 

Hoffer: “          84

 

Modern man is weighed down more by the burden of responsibility than by the burden of sin. We think him more a savior who shoulders our responsibilities than him who shoulders our sins. If instead of making decisions we have but to obey and do our duty, we feel it as sort of a salvation.”

 

My response: We are not much bothered by sin, even after World War Two, when Hoffer wrote these books since we were already a secularized people, to a large extent. But, as the Western ideal of the mind of the individual as sovereign still reigned, it was incumbent then and now that he individual shoulder his responsibilities as a competent, productive, hard-working, even maverizing individual.

 

Many people want to join the collectivity and be told what to do and what to think. We find it a source of salvation to be relieved of the burden of existing as a separate person who makes his own choices and must answer for the choices selected.