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The Overthrow Of Reason

Oct 12, 2023
by Caroline Miller
Adolf Hitler, Beetlejuice, Donald Trump, Drag Queens, Eric Hoffer, Falsehoods about Republicans and Democrats, gun advocates, Lauren Boubert, Margaret Mead, misguided patriotism, People lie to themselves, people readily accept lies, Right to Life suporters, the need for thoughtful citizens, The True Believer
6 Comments

Beksgazzar’s Feast, Courtesy of wikipedia.org

When a high-speed train is barrelling down the track, a person who knows the trestle ahead has been washed away has one obligation–to run in the direction of the impending disaster in the hope of assisting survivors.  Those of us who sense our country is nearing a failed state face the same obligation.

Explanations may vary about how our democracy came to this pass. One reason is fear.  Many of us feel our way of life is threatened by a growing number of strangers different from ourselves. Feeling alienated, some of us fall into a frenzy, hoping to preserve what’s familiar but ending up morphing into agents of chaos, ready to destroy the country in a misguided effort to save it.

The philosopher Eric Hoffer once noted that the human psyche requires us to believe in the devil.  Hitler depended upon our dark side. If Jews didn’t exist he once said, they would have to be invented. (The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer, Harperennial, Modern Classics, 1989, pg. 91.)

Hate has its purpose, Hoffer admits. It releases us from the burden of thought and narrows freedom to a one-way street that ends in tyranny.  The absolute right to bear arms, for example, absolves many from guilt when they see children murdered in their classrooms.   Those who cry, “Right to Life” are similarly infected. Religious conservatives who are willing to impose their absolutes upon believers and non-believers alike seem unmoved by the reality that antiabortion laws result in women’s deaths.

Fanaticism, if allowed to grow, drives a stake through the heart of reason. What flourishes in its place are lies. Donald Trump insists the 2020  Presidential election was stolen from him.  His flock echoes the refrain until the lie gains the ring of truth. Oddly enough, there is a reason for this phenomenon. Scientists have proved that people accept lies more readily than truth. Why?  No one knows. Yet it is a fact that robots detect falsehoods better than humans.

Lies are common in politics.  A majority of voters believe Democrats are spendthrifts and Republicans are better at handling the national debt. The truth is the opposite.  Reagan took the deficit from $70 billion to $175 billion. Bush 41 raised it to $300 billion. Clinton got it to zero. Bush 43 took it from zero to $1.2 trillion.  Obama halved it to $600 billion.  Trump raised it again to a trillion.    

People even lie to themselves. Republican House Representative Lauren Boebert imagined she took a high moral ground when she warned Drag Queens to stay out of her district. Yet, while attending a performance of Beetlejuice, she was escorted from the theater for engaging in heavy petting with a man who owns a bar that hosts Drag Queen shows.

Hypocrisy isn’t new.  It has plagued human beings since recorded time.  What’s changed is that shame no longer appends to it.

A nation with no respect for truth isn’t choosey about its leaders. The line between private and public benefit gets blurred in the minds of the greedy and self-interest passes for the country’s welfare. A would-be tyrant like Donald Trump may exhort his followers to engage in insurrection under the guise of patriotism, but he makes dupes of them and vulnerable to rudderless malcontents who would destroy democracy for no other reason than they believe it’s possible.    

What are we to do, those of us who see our democracy like a train hurtling down the track to its doom? We must vote, of course, in both local and national elections. Walking a precinct or making phone calls for a candidate is important. Writing a check to support a political campaign is also a good idea. But before we take these actions, let us be resolved in this.  We must choose reason and truth in the defense of our country.  …thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.  (Margaret Mead.)

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6 Comments
  1. louis wachsmuth October 12, 2023 at 3:58 pm Reply
    I am sure if we just talk logically to our MAGA friends, they will easily see the error of the movement. What could go wrong? Just make sure that person isn't packing a pistol.
    • Caroline Miller October 12, 2023 at 4:42 pm Reply
      I hope never to lose hope in finding common ground with our Maga friends. Not to try is certain failure. But I refer in this essay not to the conversion of others, but to holding ourselves responsibe to truth wherever it takes us. AsI point out, we humans are adept at lying to ourselves. When we do, we risk becoming tyrants.
  2. AJ Long November 6, 2023 at 4:43 am Reply
    Why is it that many communities currently espouse extreme nationalism? Many Usavians follow the precepts of Trump. The Ukraine-Russia crisis, the Israel-Palestine crisis and many governments in Africa are examples of nationalism in action - even Brexit in the UK, for God’s sake. Is it reasonable to suppose that nationalism is a property of normal human society? Humans are, of course mammals, and many mammals are territorial.
    • Caroline Miller November 6, 2023 at 9:02 am Reply
      Thank you for introducing me to a new word, "Usavians". I love adding to my vocabularly. As to the heart of your question, why this trend toward nationalism, I can only guess. Perhaps it is reaction to globalism in a time of impending scarcity. Perhaps the reason is that tecnology is bringing change faster than the human mind can embrace it, creating a longinf for "the old, simpler ways." Perhaps it is because man is a "piece of work," capable of much good but also much evil. I hold out a small amount of hope in this time of change. 60 Minutes, the television magazine, did a story recently about monkeys who survived a hurricane that had devastated their island. After the storm passed and the animmals saw the scarcity of food and water, they didn't fight for primacy but chose to cooperate with one another for fair distribution. Let's hope humans will one day come to the same conclusion.
  3. Kathleen Joy Anderson November 7, 2023 at 11:44 am Reply
    Caroline, your high-speed train image really captures what is happening at this moment. Fear is being used by unscrupled people who have no allegiance except to themselves, and are skilled at spreading those lies that strike fear in gullible people who don't know better. And the consequences of this so-called nationalism is what I fear.
    • Caroline Miller November 7, 2023 at 11:59 am Reply
      You said in a few words what took me an essay to complete. Yes! I agree with you!

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