• English

Stari grčki filozof Sokrat učio je svoje učenike da se u potragu za istinom može krenuti samo onda kad se dovede u pitanje i analizira svako vjerovanje koje smo se do tada čvrsto držali. Ako određeno vjerovanje prođe sve testove evidencije, dedukcije i logike onda ono može da bude zadržano. A ako ne, onda se ono mora odbaciti a mislilac se mora takođe da zapita zašto je on do tada vjerovao tako, kao i ko ili šta ga je i zašto navelo na to. Nimalo ne iznenađuje što se ovakav način učenja nimalo nije svidio vladajućoj eliti Grčke države. Mnogi politički lideri oduvijek su pokušavali da zavaravaju narodne mase iz raznoraznih „dobrih“ i „loših“ razloga. Sokratu se sudilo za subverziju i korupciju omladine. Nakon toga natjerali su ga da popije čašu otrova i tako sebi oduzme život. Nikada nije bilo lako onima koji su nezavisno razmišljali! Danas, naš vladajući kompleks vlade i medija ne ubija one koji tragaju za istinom (doduše, još uvijek ne). Oni ih jednostavno etiketiraju kao ekstremiste ili paranoike, a usput im unište kako karijeru, tako i reputaciju. Za mnoge je jedna takva sudbina gora nego popiti čašu otrova.

Postoje naravno i oni koji su popustili pod uticajem televizijskih i drugih eksperata i pali u hipnotički trans, jer smatraju ove za autoritete kojima treba vjerovati. Nenaviknutim na to da sami razmišljaju svojom glavom, ne postoji istina koja može da naruši njihova predubjeđenja i kondicionirane reakcije. Takvi će čak negirati i ono što vide svojim vlastitim očima. Individue koje su tako kondicionirane mogu samo da kao papagaji ponavljaju mišljenja koja su im sugestijama spolja, implantirana u njihovu svijest. Posljedica toga je da su milioni mozgova danas reducirani na intelektualni nivo jednog CD plejera koji vrti jedan implantirani disk, dizajniran od spoljnih sila kojih ovaj uopšte nije ni svjestan. Oni onda postaju žrtve psihološkog stanja poznatog kao „Leming sindrom“. Leminzi su mali glodari poznati po tome što prate jedan drugog kad se strovaljuju sa planinskih litica u ambis. Lemingarstvo je jedan podmukli psihički fenomen koji je prisutan kod većine sisara, a može se primijetiti kako kod običnih ljudi tako i kod najobrazovanije intelektualne elite.

Lemingarstvo nije intelektualni fenomen – nego psihološki, i zbog toga ni jedna socio-ekonomska klasa nije uspjela da ostane imuna njegovom zadavljujućem efektu. Univerzitetski profesor može da bude leming isto toliko koliko i modom opsjednuta tinejdžerka. Prvi slijepo prati posljednju teoriju koja je „u trendu“, dok ova druga samo prati poslednji modni stil. Da li ima neke razlike? Nijedno od njih dvoje ne može da se odbrani od „sile prirode“. Sila stapanja pojedinca sa svojom socijalnom sredinom može da bude nesavladiva.

Za čovjeka – leminga, logika koja stoji iza neke misli nije bitna toliko koliko je bitan autoritet ili popularnost onoga ko je iznosi. Čovjek se kao i leming socijalno ponaša, a drugačije ni ne može. Prirodno, svaka individua mora da ima tu osobinu, jer u suprotnom ne bi se mogao poduzeti ni najmanji korak prema ljudskoj civilizaciji. Lemingarstvo je jedna potrebna sociološka osobina za očuvanje društva, jedan urođeni instikt kod većine ljudi. Međutim, kao kod svih prirodnih fenomena i taj se može koristiti u štetne svrhe. Isti leming efekat koji omogućava masama u jednom pravednom društvenom sistemu da naprave jedan zajednički napredak, može istovremeno u jednom nepravedno vođenom društvu, da učini mase nesposobnim za objektivno rasuđivanje.

Negiranje i nipodaštavanje za leminge je fundamentalni odbrambeni mehanizam koji oni koriste ne samo radi svoje zaštite od neugodne stvarnosti, nego i da potvrde svoju lojalnost svojim pretpostavljenima. Njihova vjerovanja i stavovi moraju po svaku cijenu da budu na „pravoj“ strani. Leminzi jednostavno ne mogu da podnesu teret odgovornosti, ili nelagodnost u društvu, koja ide zajedno sa tim kad čovjek počne da razmišlja nezavisno od ostalih. Oni su jedino sposobni da ponavljaju ono što čuju na televiziji ili pročitaju u novinama. Leminzi ne samo da će koristiti svu svoju energiju da se zaštite od uticaja koji mogu da promijene njihove dogme, nego se neće libiti ni da napadnu one koji dovode u pitanje njihova vjerovanja. Leminzi se užasavaju od pomisli da ih neko nazove ekstremistima ili teoretičarima zavjera. Ono što je ironično, isti ti leminzi koji ismijavaju sve konspirativne teorije prvi su koji progutaju najbesmislenije teorije koje se mogu zamisliti, kad su ove prezentirane od strane vlade i režimskih medija!

Biti neinformisan ne znači istovremeno biti leming. Svako može biti prevaren. Čovjek ne treba da se stidi ukoliko je pogrešno informisan. Ali istrajavanje na pogrešnom načinu razmišljanja i donošenju zaključaka, čak i u slučaju kad smo izloženi nepobitnim dokazima i logici, onda je to krajnji stepen lemingarstva. Ima puno onih kojima njihov intelektualni kapacitet jednostavno ne dozvoljava da se oslobode ovog fenomena. Međutim, plemenitost karaktera je kad možemo sami sebi priznati da smo do sad bili prevareni, a unutrašnja snaga je suočavanje sa činjenicom da smo zatvorenici jednog globalnog azila namijenjenog za ludake. One individue koje mogu da se moralno i mentalno uhvate u koštac sa ovom činjenicom biće spremne da prihvate istinu kad se ona prezentira u čistom i logičnom stanju.

dr Albert D. Pastore Iz uvoda knjige „Čudnije od fantazije“

English

LEMMING SYNDROME: ARE YOU HYPNOTIZED BY LIES?

The Old Greek Philosopher Socrates taught his students that the search for truth can only begin when every belief we have firmly held is questioned and analyzed. If a belief passes all tests of evidence, deduction, and logic, then it can be retained. But if it does not, it must be rejected, and the thinker must also ask himself why he believed it up until then, and who or what led him to that belief—and why.

It’s no surprise that this method of teaching was not at all appreciated by the ruling elite of the Greek state. Many political leaders have always tried to deceive the masses for various „good“ or „bad“ reasons. Socrates was tried for subversion and corrupting the youth. He was then forced to drink a cup of poison and thus take his own life. It has never been easy for those who think independently!

Today, our ruling government–media complex does not kill those who search for the truth (at least, not yet). Instead, they simply label them as extremists or paranoiacs, and in the process destroy both their careers and their reputations. For many, such a fate is worse than drinking a cup of poison.

There are, of course, those who have succumbed to the influence of television and other “experts,” falling into a hypnotic trance because they see these figures as authorities to be trusted. Unaccustomed to thinking for themselves, no truth can disrupt their deeply rooted biases and conditioned reactions. Such people will even deny what they see with their own eyes. Individuals who are so conditioned can only parrot the opinions that have been implanted in their consciousness through external suggestion.

The result is that millions of minds today have been reduced to the intellectual level of a CD player, spinning a single implanted disc, designed by external forces of which the person is completely unaware. They then become victims of a psychological state known as the “Lemming Syndrome.” Lemmings are small rodents known for following each other off cliffs into the abyss. Lemmingism is an insidious psychological phenomenon that exists in most mammals and can be observed both in common people and among the most educated intellectual elite.

Lemmingism is not an intellectual phenomenon—it is psychological. That is why no socio-economic class has remained immune to its suffocating effects. A university professor can be just as much of a lemming as a fashion-obsessed teenage girl. The former blindly follows the latest trending theory, while the latter follows the latest fashion style. Is there really a difference? Neither of them can defend against the “force of nature.” The power of blending in with one’s social environment can be overwhelming.

For the lemming-minded person, the logic behind an idea is less important than the authority or popularity of the one expressing it. People, like lemmings, behave socially—and they can’t do otherwise. Naturally, every individual must have this trait, because without it, not even the smallest step toward civilization would be possible. Lemmingism is a necessary sociological trait for maintaining society, an inborn instinct in most people. However, like all natural phenomena, it can also be used for harmful purposes. The same lemming effect that allows masses in a just society to make collective progress can, in an unjustly led society, render those same masses incapable of objective reasoning.

Denial and belittling are fundamental defense mechanisms for lemmings—used not only to protect themselves from unpleasant reality, but also to affirm their loyalty to their superiors. Their beliefs and stances must, at any cost, be on the “right” side. Lemmings simply cannot bear the burden of responsibility or the discomfort in society that comes with independent thinking. They are only capable of repeating what they hear on TV or read in newspapers.

Lemmings will not only use all their energy to shield themselves from influences that could challenge their dogmas, but they won’t hesitate to attack those who question their beliefs. Lemmings are terrified at the thought of being called extremists or conspiracy theorists. The irony is that these same lemmings who mock all conspiracy theories are the first to swallow the most absurd theories imaginable—so long as they’re presented by the government or mainstream media!

Being uninformed does not automatically make someone a lemming. Anyone can be misled. One should not be ashamed of being wrongly informed. But persisting in faulty thinking and decision-making—even when faced with irrefutable evidence and logic—is the ultimate form of lemmingism.

Many people simply do not have the intellectual capacity to free themselves from this phenomenon. However, nobility of character lies in being able to admit to oneself that one has been deceived, and inner strength lies in confronting the fact that we are prisoners in a global asylum for the insane. Those individuals who can face this fact morally and mentally will be ready to accept the truth when it is presented in its pure and logical form.

— Dr. Albert D. Pastore
From the introduction to the book “Stranger Than Fiction”