We are in a series on totalitarianism. Political and human chaos seem to be on the rise, not just in one geographic region, but globally. Why is this? Unless the human mind can explain and make sense of it, it will, as a self-protective, block it out. So we seek to explain the what and why. To raise the alarm. And the What Now 2 Do.
Mass Formation
Ever wonder why the people of Russia largely stood still for the creeping insidiousness of Stalin and Lenin? Or why the civilized majority and good people of Germany did not rise up against the final solution? Or, for that matter, why broad swathes of the free world recently stood still for shut-downs of schools and businesses? And for therapeutic COVID shots perniciously sold as vaccines? In each case a preponderance of the population instinctively or otherwise knew that these things were wrong. Common sense and mounting evidence confirmed it. So how did it happen?
The answer is mass formation (Note 1). Mass formation is a form of group hypnosis that replaces an individual’s ethical awareness and his or her ability to think critically. To ask ‘is that true’ or ‘why.’ It is an insidious process and large numbers in a population unsuspectingly fall prey. A form of groupthink emerges that is grounded in the willingness of individuals to heedlessly abandon their own self-interest in favor of the collective. This is accompanied by a radical intolerance of alternate voices. A paranoid mentality develops that allows government and other power-brokers to promote and implement freedom robbing control.
There are four key conditions needed for a mass formation: i) a lack of social bonds with the resulting decoupling of societal connections; ii) a lack of sense-making (things don’t make sense); iii) a general sense of uneasiness that is not tied to any specific situation or object (free-floating anxiety); and, iv) a free-floating psychological discontent (Note 2).
Mass Formation And Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history. And, as technology advances, its formation gains strength and speed with each generation. From the Jacobins to the Stalinists and Nazis, governments, mass media, and other forces use fear, loneliness, and isolation to demoralize populations and exert control, persuading large groups of people to act against their own interests. Coupled with a falling away from Revealed Truth (Note 3), this provides the proverbial petri dish for the the present global rise of totalitarianism.
The world is presently in the grips of multiple mass formation crises (COVID, climate change, etc.) driven by loneliness, free-floating anxiety and fear, giving way to censorship, loss of privacy, and surrendered freedoms. It is spurred by a singular, focused crisis narrative of government and other power-brokers that forbids dissident views and relies on destructive groupthink (Note 4).
What Now 2 Do
Even if corrective action is implemented now, things will certainly get worse before they get better. There will be a difficult period but there is hope.
In a roundtable discussion with others (Note 5), specific recommendations are provided to counter mass formation. These include the following:
- Speak out – In an honest, sincere way. No matter the consequences and live to ethical principles. There is a moral obligation to make people aware of all of the issues.
- Restore integrity – Start small.
- Restore dignity – There is an intrinsic value in human beings and dignity is critical (from ecclesiastical community groups).
- Rebuild intentional communities – Connect and bond in the real world; put down cellphones. Counter social fragmentation and establish networks. People buy into the narrative, not because they believe it, but because of a social bond.
- Non-violent resistance – Stick to the principles of non-violent resistance.
It takes wisdom to discern that which comports with Revealed Truth, and what to do with it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 CSB
The Truth And Evil Series ©
Note 1: We refer here to the demonstrable phenomenon of mass formation. The seemingly inexplicable sheep-herd behavior of people against their own self interest. Some have described mass formation as a psychosis (“mass formation psychosis”). Whether it is a psychosis or not is beyond the scope of this article. It must be noted, however, that fact-checkers and other intellectual nincompoops have made much of the fact that mass formation psychosis is not a recognized medical condition. This demonstrates the complete mendacity of the fact-checking industrial complex. Get some dime-a-dozen ‘expert’ to say that mass formation psychosis is not found in medical literature as a medical condition. And ipso-facto, declare that the the entire concept of mass formation is false. This is disinformation at its forlorn best. Psychosis is when people lose some contact with reality. Mass formation may not be presently defined as a psychosis in medical literature. And whether or not it is currently described in medical literature is entirely beyond the point. It is not the assertion of this writing, nor of most others making the mass formation point.
Note 2: In his recent book, “The Psychology of Totalitarianism”, renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology, Mattias Desmet, sets out the societal conditions that allow such collective mania to take hold. With detailed analyses, examples, and results from years of research, Desmet sets out the conditions precedent that lead to mass formation:
- An overall sense of loneliness arising from a lack of social connections and bonds;
- A lack of meaning―unsatisfying jobs that don’t offer purpose;
- Free-floating anxiety and discontent that arise from loneliness and lack of meaning;
- Manifestation of frustration and aggression from anxiety;
- Emergence of a consistent narrative from government officials, mass media, etc., that exploits and channels frustration and anxiety.
In addition to clear psychological analysis, and building on Hannah Arendt’s earlier cardinal work on totalitarianism (The Origins of Totalitarianism), Desmet offers a sharp critique of the cultural groupthink that existed prior to the pandemic and advanced during the COVID crisis. He cautions against the dangers of the current societal landscape, media consumption, and reliance on manipulative technologies and then offers simple individual and collective solutions to prevent the willing sacrifice of our freedoms.
Professor Desmet describes the COVID fiasco. “Alternative voices are stigmatized and cancelled by a veritable ministry of truth which is crowded with organizations representing themselves as fact-checkers. Freedom of speech is curtailed by various forms of censorship and self-censorship (fear of speaking out). People’s right to self determination is infringed upon by coercive and malevolent vaccination strategies which impose heretofore unthinkable social exclusion and segregation upon society.”
Note 3: Revealed Truth is the heaven ordained rules of order and right. It is how things work. God has revealed Truth to humanity in three ways:
- Through Creation and all that is nature.
- Through the Bible which is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, inerrant in its original writings.
- Through the life and ministry of Jesus, including His substitutionary death on the cross.
Note 4: The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties, but through every human heart, and through all human hearts. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? Adapted, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
Note 5: Headwind.tv Roundtable Discussion with Mattias Desmet, Dr. Robert W. Malone and Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche.