Thursday, January 08, 2009

The Easy Way Out

Why do some people cling to authoritarianism? Maybe they have no choice. Perhaps because it is more primal; the "reptilian brain" is all that is needed. Authoritarianism is so much simpler. It is a refuge for those afraid, or unable, to think.

I come to this conclusion from personal experience. The only times I am prone to take the easy way out and have authoritarian thoughts is when I am extremely tired or sick and my mental faculties are not up to speed. I am not a morning person. The thinking part of my brain doesn't wake up until around 10 AM. If the baby wakes me up too early it is so much easier to just bark orders instead of working to solve any conflicts.

I pity those who live in that mindset all the time, incapable of growing up and moving past that type of mentality. To them, the answer seems to always be in ordering others around and punishing those who have different opinions or cultures. Fear, control, and punishment: the three horseman of the weak-minded. The tools of the state.


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