I think I may finally be losing it. I fear that my stance as a hard-line moderate may have finally crossed the threshold to fanaticism. Could it be that my philosophy of moderation is consuming my personality? Will I preach a religion of Moderatism from the street corners? Will I lead medium-sized protests on Washington, shouting the slogan "Maybe, Maybe Not"?
Somehow, I doubt it. Oh sure, I can be out there on my soapbox preaching like a right-winger in a land full of atheists, but I don't think people will follow any philosophy and/or religion that exhorts them to carefully look at the evidence without prejudice and then decide on a best course of action. People like quick fixes! They like something simple like, "Do not mix milk or dairy, because I say so." It seams that people will do anything they can to shut their brains off and follow any dogma that happens by.
They don't even take the time to choose a decent dogma, either. From what I've seen all it takes is one person with fanatical belief and a very big mouth to lead the sheep into his/her own personal slaughterhouse. This is especially true if the preacher is able to relate what he's saying to the audience, but not necessarily. From there, the belief system, no matter how flawed or idiotic (Marxism, Naziism, The Heaven's Gate Cult) will spread just like a disease. This mental malady will spread from person to person as they try to convince loved ones and acquaintances of the One True Way they have discovered.
It doesn't have to be an earth-shaking, profound belief, either. It can be something simple and stupid like the continued belief in the Loch Ness Monster or the conviction that whales lay eggs (one dumb broad actually believed that!). Of course, it's easy to refute most such silliness, but good luck trying to convince them.
One thing is true for dogmatists: No matter how much evidence you dig up, they will not be swayed, because they've wrapped their entire identity around their doctrine of choice. Creationists are a SUPER example, but even better examples are those Muslim nutcases who insist that their chicks must not leave they house, work, or show their faces in public. Although I've never had the privilege of reading the Koran, I have heard that there are many more passages implying male-female equality then those that imply otherwise. You'll never convince those guys of that, though, even if you got God himself to come down and tell them so.
Alternately, people tend to believe in what they want to believe because it just makes them more secure and happy with life. People who believe in an afterlife believe so because they can't handle the idea of dying, whereas atheists DON'T want to believe in an afterlife. A great example of that is one of my Christian friends who insisted that most people, especially non-Christians, were doomed to hell, but that he KNEW that he was safe. I've never met a religious guy who said, "Man, I think I might be going to hell." This is also evident in the political arena where people vilify and beautify a candidate based on nothing but their preference. Still more proof: when the Soviet Union fell apart, one political party chose a rational, truthful approach that pointed out that things would be hard for a while, but that they would gradually improve. Naturally, they lost to the ones who blew smoke. Just goes to show you that people like a liar who can perpetuate their delusions more than an honest dude who will break them. Take Hitler, for example….
I can say this, though: ignorance truly IS bliss. Since I set my brain from "stun" to "deep-fry" and started looking at everything critically, you kind of get a sense of the futility of it all. You see that happiness is usually a result of direct self-deception, when you choose to ignore all of those things that might just make you unhappy. Happiness is also the immersing of one's self into a group, thereby sacrificing their own identity and being able to forget all of those bad things in their own life. So, in light of that sad truth, would it be wrong of me to try to shatter people's illusions and also their happiness?
Fuck no! That's not how fanatics think! As a fanatical moderate, and I DEMAND that people think once in a while! That mushy gray thing in your head isn't just for ballast, you know! It serves more of a purpose than filling the vacuum in your head! It's more than a receptacle for other people's beliefs! If you don't do what I say, then I'll look at you crossly and shake my head disapprovingly!
Sigh. I've totally lost it.
