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I was recently reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theory of stupidity, and it is rather intriguing. The point I found most interesting was his idea of what cures stupidity. If I'm interpreting this correctly, only can it be cured through an external event which invokes the fear of God.
It is quite an interesting proposition, but another thing about this is that I have experienced something similar a few months ago which supports this hypothesis... Well, if we consider the emotions of a hormonal teenager as evidence, that is.
If you've been obsessively stalking me (hit me up bbg ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), you may recall from entry 30 that I had talked about this before. I had truly feared God in that moment, though forgetful as I am, I cannot control it like a faucet. Although I state it to be relating to salvation, it is much more than simply religious superstition.
It is the raw, visceral fear, not of any single entity, but of the supreme force which dictates destiny, to Whom we are all powerless to. This is the fear of death, the fear of fate, the fear of God... This is existential angst. Whether you know of the hereafter's existence can make one more likely to feel this, but it is not necessary.
Everyone, no matter what background, can feel this existential angst through a near death experience, like I recalled in entry 37 (ok, I wasn't actually DYING, but yk... (=w=). Only an experience of this intensity can possibly snap a stupid person out of the hex which has been cast upon him, since the logical conclusion of this realization is to reform one's life as an act of penance.
But obviously, due to the intense difficulty it takes to undo such brainwashing, it is obviously best to take preventative measures if you're not already affected, although I'd be impressed if such is your case since it is very hard to avoid such manipulation in today's society. So remember to keep a backbone and always ask questions, because...
NIHIL EST SINE RATIONE
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Cyr
I'd actually never heard of Dietrich or his ideas before, it was a fairly interesting read.
I'd always consider this sort of "social stupidity" to have developed from too much safety and a detachment from the consequences of their actions. There is no need to consider the consequences if they never arrive, and no need to develop one's own view of the world if the world can always retain that illusion of simplicity. This would explain why people in isolation don't develop this affliction, as they are very much affected by their own actions and are moreso forced to face reality. It would also help explain why it develops more in crowds. There very much is safety in numbers, and is why an angry antisocial mob can ruin a city, there is far less consequences for one's own actions, and it's very hard for anything, even devastation, to punish the masses.
That's why I think in a way divine judgement is a solution, it is probably the only universal common ground, where everyone is held accountable. Religion has always been a tool to control people, even as a fairly confident believer in God myself, this has always been obvious. Hence, by having the priests keep a strong fear of the divine, a nation can be held together, one human unit at a time.
One thing I also found interesting was how the paper referred to stupid people as "stupid creatures" (at least the version I found did). At first this seemed like a kind of strange attempt at dehumanization, but I actually think it's deeper than that. To be human is to have that capacity to move beyond programming and to think for one's own self, and frankly, until you have that capacity you are not as human as you could be. It's not a dehumanizing statement, but rather an observation that they haven't fully moved beyond animalhood.
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by Cyr; ; Report