John Dunn

That freedom means not leaving things alone means that it is the opposite of libertarian. A self-regulating system by its nature is stultifying and doomed to stagnation and extinction. Equilibria must be overturned if puppethood is to be avoided.

Mammals maintain their blood temperature in a variety of climates. As such they rose above the reptiles when the catastrophe struck the dinosaurs. But man is more than a self-regulating system in harmony with his surroundings. Rather, man has a mind that has exercised frivolities since the first cave paintings.

Yet new patterns of behaviour demand lots of energy. Being frivolous is hard work, quite apart from the universal opprobrium which nearly always accompanies it. So we dull our minds...

...by being busied with all sorts of worldly affairs, by being wise to the ways of the world, such a per-son forgets himself, in a divine sense forgets his own name, dares not believe in himself, finds being himself too risky, finds it much easier and safer to be like all the others, to become a copy, a number, along with the crowd. (Kierkegaard)

Quite simply, it is much easier not to think, but rather to take from the professional experts and collaborators. Thus man relies on already formulated thought patterns or formulae. To reach a desired goal, he may use a string of these prefabricated patterns. The off-the-peg availability of such formulae in turn limits the goals so that we exchange diversity of opinion for universal accord. They who control the distribution of patterns also control the accord. Even the supposed revolutionaries are given the patterns. The 1960s counter-culture is the best example, but it continues today on the political left, through funded protest groups and lampooning comedians.

© John Dunn.