What do I mean by “confusion of ideas”? The premise is simple. You, and I, and everyone who was born after about 10,000 B.C. (B.C.E. if you’re picky, but the date is arbitrary anyway, so it really doesn’t matter) has been subjected to a deliberate attempt at mental confusion since birth. In most cases, this attempt is highly successful. The purpose of this confusion is to create a non-critical mind; one that is not very capable at employing critical thinking to solve problems, and one that completely lacks confidence in its own ability to make good judgments. Such a mind is superstitious, and susceptible to persuasion to a far greater degree than a self-confident, critical mind would be. Hell, the tools of persuasion one uses on a superstitious mind need not be provably real.
What possible motive could there be for this? Also simple. A leader requires followers. In and elitist society, one is elevated upon the backs of the less fortunate; the more backs, the better. This holds true no matter what guise the relationship takes. In sales, it is known as the principle of leverage. In the capitalist business structure at large, it produces the gulf between the few high-salaried positions at the top, and the many more moderate incomes of the workers who actually produce the marketable product. It is also the mechanism responsible for turning the government of the CCCP into a privileged class. For every person that rises above the median of wealth and privilege, about 10 to 30 must sink below the median, depending on the economic wealth of the region. The higher one rises, the more numerous must be those below median to provide support. Ultimately, another several tiers are created, sinking below the poverty line. If we all possessed equal potential as leaders, the reward for leadership would not be as great. There are many mechanisms in place to create barriers to entry into the elite class, but in my opinion, the primary and most fundamental barrier is the confusion of ideas, and the social acceptance thereof.
Where does it start? It starts with the gullibility of young children and our social training to screw around with it. Example: Santa Claus. Harmless mythology, or reinforcement for things to come? If you’re Christian, try to remember when you were really little, and you believed in Santa Claus. Put yourself back into that state of unconditional acceptance if you can. Now try to remember how you felt when you found out that Santa wasn’t real. Disoriented? Disillusioned? Was there some gnawing doubt about your ability to process reality and make competent decisions? Maybe you just felt all squirmy inside and didn’t have a name to put on the feeling. Maybe your intellectual Waterloo was something else, but similar. You were the victim of a confusion of ideas, resulting in self-doubt and uncertainty. This is the unnatural nature of society: in order to create more followers than leaders, leadership qualities must be extinguished.
This is not the essay that I intended to write, but I am still learning the principle of parsimony. If anyone out there is interested, you will have to wait for more.
