Opinionated robots

More wisdom from Meerloo

There is no doubt that we are all under some sort of global psychological operation that is attempting to, and succeeding, to institutionalise behaviours and thoughts along lines we would never have naturally followed. We are under constant psychological manipulation that is weakening our capacity to rationalise, it is weakening our spirituality and our intellect. This psychological operation is predisposing us to accept the authority and dictates of the State, without question, without reason - the very end goal of totalitarianism - obedience without question.

The totalitarian does not want to persuade us in an intellectual debate. The totalitarian does not want a debate at all. No argument, no thinking, no rationality, just obedience. If the totalitarian can bring the mind of the masses to a place of blind collective acceptance - then the revolution is complete. A revolution that only serves the master, not the servant.

Most of us are brought up to conform, to obey authority, which is necessary to a degree for a functional society. Indeed for the Christian, conforming to the image of Christ and obedience to God, the ultimate authority, is a necessary part of the kingdom of God. But how does this work out for obedience to lesser kings? Given the history of the world, not so great. Given our learnt tendency to conform and obey authority we come predisposed with a useful bias for the totalitarian. We are suggestible and under the spell of hypnotic mass communication, can easily fall into a uniform, completely stereotyped, mode of thinking and behaving. Again, a certain level of likemindedness in a society is a good thing, it brings coherence and strong bonds between the people. But under the influence of the totalitarian master the homogeny of thought and action can easily serve evil.

In this modern age we are bombarded with mass media, social media, and entertainment that is increasingly synchronised an harmonised to brainwash us in certain directions - en mass. No longer do we have the space to just muse, to walk and think about a book, for example, that may have consumed our imagination for a few weeks. That “white space” where our mind can engage in it’s own creative constructions of ideas, enhancing our individuality¹. Rather our brains are continually insulted by a never-ending flow of information, shaping our values, our perceptions and judgments, even our personalities.

Out of a misdirected enthusiasm to enhance ourselves and our experience of the world, we have dulled the mind, become hypnotised robots and puppets of the technocrats. 24/7 connectivity has not made us deeper, richer, wiser, but rather shallow, poor and stupid².

Engineers of social correctness have destroyed the creativity and spontaneity of the masses and turned us into replicating machines of clichés and correctness, while maintaining an illusion of individual choice and volition.

In our epoch of too many noises and many frustrations, many “free” minds have given up the struggle for decency and individuality. They surrender to the Zeitgeist, often without being aware of it. Public opinion molds our critical thoughts every day. Unknowingly, we may become opinionated robots. (Joost Meerloo - The Rape of the Mind)

1. Such space is essential for engaging the “default mode network” - a particular mode of brain activity related to daydreaming, creativity, projection and self-referential thought, in both hemispheres of the brain. Indeed it is this mode of mental activity that is attributed to the sudden flash of insight that has brought about revelations in science and the arts.

2. However maintaining an air of arrogant self-righteousness as we parrot whatever we’ve been programmed to think and rage against the dissenters.