People are lazy and stupid. We will follow anyone who seems legitimately in charge. And for the most part, we all do it. People will follow actors, radio personalities, fictional characters, writers, religious leaders, a political party, politicians, and more. The worst part, they don’t know why, or if they have a reason, it may not make any sense to anyone besides themselves.
My mother once told me that she would not vote any woman into any political office because God mad men to be better at that. People grow up and vote Republican or Democrat because their parents did. Or they go to the same church/denomination/cult because the rest of their family does it. And yet they don’t know why.
When was the last time you looked at your personal views objectively and carefully listened to the counter arguments against it? Think about that for a while, think about your political party, religious view, relationship, career, ideals on human rights, etc… When you get to the core beliefs of a person, in most cases, they don’t have a reason why. There is no critical thinking or proof or substance behind it. It is just because it has always been that way to them.
The strange thing is that there are tons of people who know this. They pretend to be sent from God, or the politician that sounds good, or working to help person of x (x being a child or mother or someone you feel sorry for or can relate), and we give these people our money, our time and our energy (even our love). All the while, we are being dragged along like sheep.
This is why I like scientists, skeptics and new generations. They bring ideas, challenge the norm, have truly open minds and don’t simply accept things just because. I honestly wish people were more like that. I wish people would do more research before opening their mouths. I wish a person would look at their ideals and wonder if it is right to believe that or if they are accept it because that is what they were taught. But that is a wish I may never get.
Everyone wants the quick and easy. Fast food places have to have food done in 10 minutes if not sooner. Microwaves nuke everything. The Internet is at our finger tips and we complain about 4G speeds not being fast enough. And we don’t really look into any of it. We trust it all and don’t challenge it.
We assume the food place is made in a disease and bacteria free zone, even though the cook may have the flu. We assume that our politicians will do what is best for us when we vote for them, even though we also call them liars. We believe that tel-evangelical preachers will guide us to salvation, not knowing they are just seeking money and power. We trust our government will protect and serve us, even though we keep loosing rights. We hope our children feel safe and secure, but we are the ones they talk to the least because they fear our reactions.
Life is hard, it is nice to take the easy route at times. But by taking the easy route, we allow other people to take control, to manipulate our minds and to leave us behind. We need to challenge ourselves, our ideas and those around us. Otherwise we are doomed and might as well be nothing more than lambs in for a slaughter.