Surviving Collective Insanity
Collective insanity is never very far away. It's best to be prepared.
I suppose we ought to define collective insanity. It is when a mass of people do things that increase suffering and distress, and it is doubly insane when they increase their own suffering and distress. There are plenty of examples: the Russian Revolution and purges, the Cultural Revolution under Mao, the tyranny of Pol Pot in Cambodia, Nazi Germany, and so on. Generally speaking, the masses will follow any leader who promises to crush the people they hate and bring about prosperity. The masses are not well known for their reasoning capability and discrimination, and so it's relatively easy to sell a dream that appeals to low-level emotions and biases.
The masses are always near collective insanity, and so it pays to be prepared should it erupt near you. It might be that the masses have been told that people who wear spectacles are to be killed (as in Cambodia under Pol Pot). Obviously, it would be an act of stupidity to wear your spectacles in public. A "Western" insanity might be the belief that philosophy is subversive and should not be read. Once again, it would be absolute folly to display philosophy books in a bookshelf (fill it with cheap novels), and they should only be read in private. And here is the key: when collective insanity strikes, we do as the masses do. There is absolutely no point arguing with them that the Sun is yellow when propaganda has convinced everyone that it is green. Secretly, we do what our natural inclinations dictate. There is a risk here, but the severity of the restrictions and the punishments associated with ignoring them needs to be assessed.
Collective insanity can be nothing more than biases that have become widely adopted. I've lived in areas in the North of England where buying books was seen as wasting money, and the purchaser might well be ridiculed.
Resentment frequently drives the masses. It's always there and becomes acute when a leader exploits it. So, as far as possible, give no reason for others to resent you. If the collective insanity becomes amplified by power possessors, then there is a need for constant vigilance and a willingness to mingle with the crowd. One day your life may depend on it.
The practicality of being street smart coincides with the “language of the smile”. Playing a role with sincerity. Insecurity can make the difference between life and death in extreme situations of social unrest.