have you ever wondered why societies sometimes seem to lose their Collective Minds why seemingly rational people can suddenly Embrace irrational beliefs in masses these phenomena have puzzled thinkers and historians for centuries this dangerous social phenomenon is called Mass psychosis but before we discuss this consider this quote from the renowned psychologist Gustaf Lebon the masses have never thirsted after truth they turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste preferring to deify error if error sedu them whoever can supply them with Illusions is easily their Master whoever attempts to destroy their Illusions is always their
victim this sobering observation sets the stage for our exploration of how entire societies can descend into madness you probably think that surely the greatest threats to civilization are natural disasters diseases or external conflicts but what if I told you that according to the famous psychologist Carl Jung the greatest danger lies within our own minds Yung argued that our inability to deal with the forces of our own psyche poses the most significant threat to our civilization it's as if we're our own worst enemies or as the Latin proverb puts it man is Wolf to man Yung
considered this a sad yet Eternal truism but when does this wolf-like nature come to the Forefront Yung observed that it's most prominent during those dark periods of history when mental illness becomes the norm rather than the exception in a society he term ter this disturbing phenomenon a psychic epidemic in his work the symbolic life Yung writes indeed it is becoming ever more obvious that it is not famine not earthquakes not microbes not cancer but man himself who is man's greatest danger to man for the simple reason that there is no adequate protection against psychic epidemics
which are infinitely more devastating than the worst of natural catastrophes it's a chilling thought isn't it so what exactly is a mass psychosis simply put it's an epidemic of Madness it occurs when a large portion of society loses touch with reality and descends into delusions now you might be tempted to dismiss this as mere fiction but history provides us with all to real examples consider the witch hunts that swept through America and Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries during this period thousands of individuals mostly women were killed not for any crimes they actually committed
but because they became scapegoats in societies gripped by Collective Madness Francis Hill in her book a delusion of Satan writes that in some Swiss Villages there were scarcely any women left alive after the frenzy had finally burned itself out or think about the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th century millions of people embraced ideologies that in hindsight seem obviously destructive and delusional yet at the time entire nations fell under their spell the results of a mass psychosis are nothing short of devastating Yung studied this phenomenon extensively and observed that when a society succumbs to Madness
its members become morally and spiritually inferior they sink unconsciously to an inferior intellectual level becoming more unreasonable irresponsible emotional erratic and unreliable but perhaps most terrifying of all Yung noted that crimes the individual alone could never stand are freely committed by the group this explains how ordinarily moral people can part participate in atrocities during times of mass psychosis what makes this phenomenon even more Insidious is that those caught in its grip are often unaware of what's happening just as an individual experiencing psychosis can't step outside their own mind to recognize their delusions there's no archimedian
point from which those living through a mass psychosis can observe their Collective Madness so what causes a mass psychosis to answer this we need to First understand what drives an individual to Madness while there are many potential triggers such as drug abuse brain injuries or other physical ailments we are particularly interested in psychological or psychogenic causes these are the most common culprits behind Mass psychosis the most prevalent psychogenic cause of psychosis is a flood of negative emotions particularly fear or anxiety that drives an individual into a state of panic now imagine this Panic spreading through
a population like a contagious disease that's the starting point of a mass psychosis when in a state of panic it's natural to seek relief it's mentally and physically exhausting to remain in such a hyper emotional state while there are healthy ways to cope with panic such as facing and overcoming the fear inducing threat another Escape Route is a psychotic break now contrary to popular belief a psychotic break isn't a descent into greater disorder instead it's a reordering of one's experiential World it Blends fact and fiction reality and delusions in a way that helps a the
feelings of Panic it's a coping mechanism albeit a maladaptive one silvano arti one of the 20th Century's formost authorities on schizophrenia outlined the psychogenic steps that lead to Madness first there's the phase of panic where the individual starts perceiving things differently becomes frightened appears confused and can't explain the strange occurrences they're experiencing this is followed by what arietti calls the phase of psychotic Insight during this phase the individual EDS in putting things together by creating a pathological way of seeing reality this allows them to explain their abnormal experiences arietti calls it Insight because the patient
finally sees meaning in their experiences but it's psychotic because it's based on delusions rather than a realistic understanding of the situation in essence the delusions allow the panic-stricken individual to escape from the flood of negative emotions but at the cost of losing touch with reality as arietti puts it a psychotic break can be viewed as an abnormal way of dealing with an extreme state of anxiety now let's scale this up to a societal level if a flood of negative emotions can trigger a psychotic break in a vulnerable individual then a mass psychosis can result when
a population of vulnerable individuals is driven into a state of panic by threats real imagined or fabricated but here's where it gets interesting because delusions can take many forms and Madness can manifest in countless ways the specific manner in which a Massy osis unfolds will differ based on the historical and cultural context of the affected Society in our modern era one form of mass psychosis stands out as particularly threatening The psychosis of totalitarianism Arthur vers Lewis defines totalitarianism as the modern phenomenon of total centralized state power coupled with the obliteration of individual human rights in
the totalized state there are those in power and they the objectified masses the victims in a totalitarian Society a disturbing transformation occurs the population is divided into two groups the rulers and the ruled both groups undergo a pathological change the rulers are elevated to an almost Godlike status which stands in stark contrast to our nature as imperfect beings who are easily corrupted by power the masses on the other hand are reduced to dependent subjects of these pathological rulers taking on a psychologically regressed childlike status Hannah arant one of the 20th Century's preeminent Scholars of totalitarian
ISM describe it as an attempted transformation of human nature itself but this transformation doesn't create a Utopia it turns sound Minds into sick ones as a Dutch medical doctor who studied the Mental effects of totalitarianism observed there is in fact much that is comparable between the strange reactions of the citizens of totalitarianism and their culture as a whole on the one hand and the reactions of the sick schizophrenic on the other the social transformation that unfolds under totalitarianism is built upon and sustained by delusions think about it only diluted individuals would regress to the childlike
status of obedient and submissive subjects handing over complete control of their lives to politicians and bureaucrats only a diluted ruling class would believe they possess the knowledge wisdom and Acumen to completely control Society in a top- down Manner and only under the spell of delusions would anyone believe that a society composed of power hungry rulers and a psychologically regressed population could lead to anything other than Mass suffering and social ruin the mass psychosis of totalitarianism has been induced many times throughout history as ju miru explains in his book the rape of the mind it is
simply a question of reorganizing and manipulating Collective feelings in the proper way the method by which the ruling Elite accomplishes this is called menticide which literally means killing of the Mind miru describes it as an organized system of psychological intervention and judicial perversion through which a ruling class can imprint their own opportunistic thoughts upon the minds of those they plan to use and Destroy so how does this process of menticide unfold it begins with the sewing of fear placing the population in a state of panic that primes them for a disent into delusionary beliefs one
particularly effective technique is the use of waves of Terror under this method periods of intense fear-mongering are interspersed with periods of calm but each period of calm is followed by an even more more intense spell of fear and on and on the process goes miru explains the psychological impact each wave of terrorizing creates its effects more easily after a breathing spell than the one that preceded it because people are still disturbed by their previous experience morality becomes lower and lower and the psychological effects of each new propaganda campaign become stronger it reaches a public already
softened up while fear primes a population for menticide the use of propaganda to spread misinformation and promote confusion regarding the source of threats and the nature of the crisis helps break down the minds of the masses government officials and their Lackey in the media can use contradictory reports nonsensical information and even blatant lies the more they confuse the less capable a population Becomes of coping with the crisis and diminishing Their Fear in a rational and adaptive manner confusion in other words heightens the suscep ability to descend into the delusions of totalitarianism as miru puts it
logic can be met with logic while illogic cannot it confuses those who think straight the big lie and monotonously repeated nonsense have more emotional appeal than logic and reason while the people are still searching for a reasonable counterargument to the first lie the totalitarians can assault them with another in our modern world the means to manipulate Society into the psychosis of totalitarianism have never been more effective smartphones and social media television and the internet all in conjunction with Bots that spread propaganda and algorithms that quickly censor unwanted information allow those in power to easily assault
the minds of the masses what's more The Addictive nature of these Technologies means that many people voluntarily subject themselves to the ruling Elites propaganda with alarming frequency miru observed this trend even in the early days of modern technology modern technology teaches man to take for granted the world he is looking at he takes no time to retreat and reflect technology lures him on dropping him into its wheels and movements No Rest no meditation no reflection no conversation the senses are continually overloaded with stimuli man doesn't learn to question his world anymore the screen offers him
answers readymade but there's a further step that would be totalitarian rulers can take to increase the chance of a totalitarian psychosis isolating the victims and disrupting normal social interactions when alone and lacking normal interactions with friends family and co-workers an individual becomes far more susceptible to delusions for several reasons firstly they lose contact with the corrective force of positive examples not everyone is tricked by the machinations of the ruling Elite and individuals who see through the propaganda can help free others from The mdal Assault if however isolation is enforced the power of these positive examples
greatly diminishes another reason isolation increases the efficacy of menticide is that human beings like many other species are more easily conditioned into new patterns of thought and behavior when isolated miru explains this in relation to the work of physiologist Ivon Pavlov on behavioral conditioning Pavlov made another significant Discovery the conditioned reflex could be developed most easily in a quiet laboratory with a minimum of disturbing stimuli every trainer of animals knows this from his own experience isolation and the patient repetition of stimuli are required to tame wild animals the totalitarians have followed this rule they know
that they can condition their political victims most quickly if they are kept in isolation alone confused and battered by waves of Terror a population under an attack of menticide descends into a hopeless and vulnerable state the never-ending stream of propaganda turns Minds once capable of rational thought into playhouses of irrational forces with chaos swirling around them and within them the masses crave a return to a more ordered world this is when the wood be totalitarians can take the decisive step they can offer a way out a return to order in a world that seems to
be moving rapidly in the opposite direction but all this comes at a price the masses must give up their freedom and Seed control of all aspects of life to the ruling Elite they must relinquish their capacity to be self-reliant individuals responsible for their own lives and become submissive and obedient subjects in other words the masses must descend into the delusions of the totalitarian Psych Tois miru describes this descent vividly the totalitarian systems of the 20th century represent a kind of collective psychosis whether gradually or suddenly reason and common human decency are no longer possible in
such a system there is only a pervasive atmosphere of Terror and a projection of the enemy imagined to be in our midst thus Society turns on itself urged on by the ruling authorities but the order prom by a totalitarian world is a pathological order by enforcing strict Conformity and requiring blind obedience from the citizenry totalitarianism rides the world of the spontaneity that produces many of life's Joys and the creativity that drives Society forward the total control of this form of rule no matter under what name it is branded be it rued by scientists and doctors
politicians and bureaucrats or a dictator breeds stagnation destruction and Death on a mass scale so perhaps the most important question facing our world is how can totalitarianism be prevented and if a society has been induced into the early stages of this Mass psychosis can the effects be reversed while one can never be sure of the prognosis of collective Madness there are steps that can be taken to help affect a cure this task however necessitates many different approaches from many different people just as the mdal attack is multi-pronged so must be the Counterattack according to Carl
Yung for those of us who wish to help return sanity to an insane world the first step is to bring order to our own minds and to live in a way that provides inspiration for others to follow it is not for nothing that our age cries out for the Redeemer personality for the one who can emancipate himself from the grip of the collective psychosis and save at least his own soul who lights a Beacon of Hope for others proclaiming that here is at least one man who has succeeded in extricating himself from the Fatal identity
with the group psyche but assuming one is living in a manner free of the grip of the psychosis there are further steps that can be taken firstly information that counters the propaganda should be spread as far and as wide as possible the truth is more powerful than the fiction and falsities pedal by wouldbe totalitarian rulers so their success is in part contingent on their ability to censor the free flow of information another tactic is to use humor and ridicule to delegitimize the ruling Elite as miru explains we must learn to treat the demagogue and aspiring
dictators in our midst with the weapon of ridicule the demagogue himself is almost incapable of humor of any sort and if we treat him with humor he will begin to collapse a tactic recommended by VAV Havel a political dissident under Soviet communist rule who later became president of Czechoslovakia is the construction of what are called parallel structures a parallel structure is any form of organization business institution technology or creative Pursuit that exists physically within a totalitarian in society yet morally outside of it in communist Czechoslovakia havl noted that these parallel structures were more effective at
combating totalitarianism than political action furthermore when enough parallel structures are created a second culture or parallel Society spontaneously forms and functions as an enclave of freedom and Sanity within a totalitarian World hav explains in his book The Power of the powerless what else are parallel structures than an area where a different life can be lived a life that is in harmony with its own aims and which in turn structures itself in harmony with those aims what else are those initial attempts at Social self-organization than the efforts of a certain part of society to rid itself
of the self-sustaining aspects of totalitarianism and thus to extricate itself radically from its involvement in the totalitarian system but Above All Else what is required to prevent a full descent into The Madness of totalitarianism is action by as many people as possible just as the ruling Elite Do not sit around passively but instead take deliberate steps to increase their power so too must an active and concerted effort be made to move the world back in the direction of Freedom this can be an immense Challenge in a world falling prey to the delusions of totalitarianism but
as Thomas Payne noted during another dark period of History tyranny like hell is not easily conquered yet we have this consolation with us that the harder the conflict the more glorious the Triumph it's important to remember that the battle against totalitarianism is not just a physical or political one but a psychological one the ruling Elite understand this which is why they focus so heavily on controlling the narrative and manipulating emotions to combat this we must become aware of our own psychological vulnerabilities and work to strengthen our minds against manipulation one way to do this is
through education not just formal education but self-education we must cultivate critical thinking skills learn to question authority and develop the ability to recognize propaganda and manipulation when we see it this includes understanding logical fallacies being able to fact check information and maintaining a healthy skepticism without falling into paranoia another crucial aspect is maintaining our humanity and connections with others totalitarian systems thrive on dehumanization and isolation by fostering genuine human connections practicing empathy and refusing to see others as mere abstractions or enemies we resist the totalitarian mindset we must also be vigilant about protecting our privacy
and personal autonomy as technology advances it becomes easier for those in power to Monitor and control the population by being conscious of our digital footprint supporting privacy protecting Technologies and resisting the urge to trade privacy for convenience we can make it harder for wouldbe totalitarians to exert control it's also crucial to support and Protect free speech and freedom of the press these are often the first casualties in a totalitarian takeover even if we disagree with what's being said defending the right to say it is crucial for maintaining a free Society this includes supporting Independent Journal
ISM and alternative media Outlets that challenge the official narrative furthermore we must be wary of the creep of authoritarianism totalitarianism rarely appears overnight it often Creeps in gradually each small step making the next seem less outrageous we must be willing to draw lines in the sand and say no further to encroachments on our freedoms even when they're presented as being for our own good it's worth noting that art and culture play a significant role in this struggle totalitarian regimes often seek to control art and suppress creativity because they recognize its power to inspire and unite
people by creating and supporting art that celebrates Freedom individuality and human dignity we can help keep the flame of Liberty alive even in dark times in conclusion the struggle against the mass psychosis of totalitarianism is one of the most crucial battles of our time it's a battle fought not just in the halls of power or on the streets but in the minds and hearts of of every individual the path is not easy and the outcome is never guaranteed but as long as there are those who value Freedom who think critically who maintain their Humanity in
the face of dehumanizing forces there is hope in the words of the philosopher Albert kamu the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion let us then commit ourselves to this rebellion of Freedom let us be the beacon of Sanity in an increasingly insane world the choice as always lies with each of us will we succumb to the comfortable delusions offered by wouldbe totalitarians or will we embrace the sometimes difficult but ultimately liberating path of freedom and individual responsibility the future
of our societies and indeed of human civilization itself May well depend on how we answer this question
