Don't Be Afraid To Question Authority
Our culture gaslights you to join the crowd when it is better to think for yourself and question authority.
Society’s Indoctrination
The population appears complacent. Our culture indoctrinates us from birth. By going through the education system, then the higher education system, people have been taught to respect those in authority unquestionably. People have become programmed by watching the mainstream media (both on the left and the right). People have been told that politicians can provide solutions. Society told people from a young age that our culture works from the top down, not from the bottom up.
Brainwash synonyms: educate, indoctrinate, catechize, condition.
Why are they in authority? Why do you need to respect their authority? If their track record, words, and actions do not match what they are telling you to do, why do you still blindly obey?
Crowd Mentality
Crowd mentality, or mob psychology, is a problem. Mob psychology is a problem because it makes you lose your individuality. You are no longer unique. You are merely another drop in the ocean of people. That means you don’t matter.
Our culture calls people who don’t want to go along with the crowd lack sympathy and are anti-social. This is another way to pressure you to conform to what society wants you to do, from your beliefs to how you spend your money.
Crowd mentality is the problem. You are not the issue by going against it. Society wants to gaslight you to think that you are the problem because you are not doing what everyone else is doing. You can get off the bandwagon. You may prefer to drive your wagon.
So-Called “Experts”
You have options besides following the people who allow “experts” to herd them like sheep. Just because someone is on television, writes for a well-known newspaper, or has more than a million subscribers does not mean they know what they are talking about. They could be selling a story. It could be propaganda.
If our culture tells you that you must respect someone because of their position, it may be wise to ignore them. Anything widely believed by the public could be wrong because they took it for granted. The assumptions and ideas from “experts” you were trained never to question. After all, the people in charge are supposed to know what they are doing. The “experts” are believed to have your best in mind.
The last three years prove otherwise.
“Experts” And Self-Education
Another problem with “experts” is they may think they are knowledgeable on a topic because they received a fancy degree from a highly respected university and have received many awards. They may be the top person in their field. They may no longer need to study and continue learning in their field because they already know everything. They may only need to brush up on some topics. Deep learning is no longer required because they are an “expert.”
In contrast, self-education views education as a lifelong journey. You do not stop once you receive an overpriced college degree that may not benefit you much. Instead, you continue to learn by asking questions, reading and watching content from other people, taking digital courses from people who are masters in their niche with a proven track record and have the view that you will learn until you die.
The “expert” view is more short-term, while the self-education perspective is long-term.
An Example Of Going Along With The Crowd
David Stockman of International Man writes about the above graph, “It tells you there was no deadly plague; there was no extraordinary public health crisis; and that the Grim Reaper was not stalking the highways and byways of America.”
We were told that there was a pandemic in 2020. If that were true, there would be more deaths in 2020 compared to previous years. The chart above shows that the age-adjusted mortality in 2020 was at 2004 levels. Yet, we were told by society, “experts,” and so-called “leaders” that it was the worst thing since the Black Plague.
Data does not lie. However, statistics can be obscured and manipulated to lie.
You were told to lock yourself up for two weeks, accept the shutdown of the economy, allow the government to define if you are an essential or a non-essential worker, told not to visit your friends and family, not have children go to school, and miss family funerals for what? Nothing.
Never forget what “authorities” did in the name of the greater good. The greater good myth is an illusion society uses to control you. “Authority” figures told you that you did not matter. You were told that you were either essential or not essential. You were commanded not to leave your house like a prisoner in jail, a form of forced house arrest. You were not allowed into stores if you did not wear a face mask or did not have the vaccine(s). That is what society and “experts” think of you if you do not go along with the crowd. You were not welcome. You were made an outcast.
It is preferable to be strong (mentally and physically), independent, and stand on your principles rather than succumbing to a schizophrenic society.
Many people gladly went along with everything to fit in.
Never forget what the government, businesses, and employers told you to do in the name of public health and the greater good.
Become A Contrarian
A contrarian “takes an opposing view, especially one who rejects the majority opinion.” A contrarian can take the opposite view on any topic. The most skeptical contrarians go so far as to say that if it is on the television, in mainstream news (from Fox News to CNN), or the government tells them to do something, then it is a sign to do the reverse.
There are better routes than going along with the crowd. It is not comfortable to go against the grain. It can be challenging. It can help you to develop a thick skin and to ignore society’s pressure. It will help you to find like-minded people.
You can begin to think independently and question the people you are told to obey because they are in authority. You will develop self-confidence. You will learn to use your time wisely. You will be more cautious of the things you hear or see. You will then want to use your time better to improve yourself.
Think For Yourself
You can learn basic critical thinking skills, ask questions, and fundamental analytical skills. You can learn to recognize logical fallacies. You can start to ask hard, uncomfortable questions that “experts” don’t want you to ask. You can begin to analyze the information that you take for granted. You can find ways to check the data to see if it matches reality.
Question Everything
Question everything that you take for assume to be true. It could be incorrect. You may have been taught something that may no longer be true or was never correct. Yet, you were told that it was true. You may have followed because you didn't know anything better.
Ask questions. Question the narrative. Ask “authorities” hard questions. If they don’t give you a satisfactory answer, look for it yourself. Do your research.
You can learn the basics of doing your research. You can learn how to use search engines. You can gather information, sources, and various perspectives on a topic. You can evaluate your sources. You can determine which is the most trustworthy, make the best case, and were able to back up their arguments. You can figure out which sources best match what is happening in reality. You can then arrive at your conclusion.
Question Authority
You were told to respect authority since kindergarten, if not earlier. The education system trains you to be passive, and it is an active activity to question authority.
Here is the secret that “authorities” don’t want you to know. Respect and trust are earned, and make someone earn it, but never entirely give it away. Healthy distrust is reasonable, and skepticism is natural.
You can work to become your own person with your thoughts, ideas, and views once you break away from the system that society has built around you. The first step to doing that is to question authority.
Think for yourself. Question everything. Question authority.
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Who is the crowd that peers through the cage
As we perform here upon the stage?
Tell me a lie in a beautiful way
I believe in answers
Just not today
We’re not for everyone.