Another Deep Dive into Stupidity - Conspirituality

This post includes links to great podcasts. I encourage you to follow the links to the podcasts. They are much more informative than anything I have to say about them.

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As COVID deaths in the US exceed 700,000, I continue my search for the source of widespread stupidity.

To state the obvious, stupidity sells.

I encountered this CBC podcast on the subject of "Conspirituality" - lovely term embracing the dog's breakfast of ideas promoted for commercial reasons that treat "mainstream" health measures (such as vaccines) as a kind of conspiracy against the individual who, instead, should be buying magic crystals, retaining semen or following some arcane practice rather than submitting to the awkward fact that good intentions and independent thinking will not save you from having a more or less run of the mill body and life.

Another lovely term from this podcast is "privatized religion". This refers to the fact that anybody with a measure of charisma** can take to YouTube and start what is, in effect, a religion for profit. At its heart, such religion must regard all the facts arrayed against it as a vast conspiracy (such as Youtube taking down anti-vax posts).

I often hear people say they are "religious" but reject "organized religion". While I am certainly skeptical of "organized religion", I think that disorganized religion is even worse. Especially the kind promoted for profit by a charismatic individual*

While you are at it, take a look at a compact and informative podcast from New York Times on the ivermectin issue. Previously softened up to believe anything, "conservatives" tend to believe that the vaccine is part of a huge conspiracy and ivermectin is being hushed up and suppressed by "them" - maybe Biden and his fellow cannibals. 

The CBC podcast shows how some specific "conspirituality" commercial religions are specifically linked to Q-Anon, the conspiracy theory animating the true believers of the Trump core.

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* I know, I know. Catholicism fits this description on a huge scale. So do all organized religions. People who abandon the grand conspiracy theories behind these religions fall into the arms of snake oil salesmen that simply sell them a more exciting alternate universe. There is nobody out there selling rationality or reasonable skepticism. In the supermarket of ideas, rationality has an obscure kiosk in the alley. 

** "Charisma" is performance art. For more on this, check here.

Why is Everyone so F*G Stupid?

Jacob Chansley (with The Horns) Got 41 Months in Prison

Totally Repudiated Q-Anon Etc

It is a total mystery why some people refuse to get vaccinated or why an entire political party seems to be living in an alternate reality. As I write, thousands of health care workers in New York have refused to get the first jab in order to go back to work. And the "audits" keep coming. What the f*k is going on?

To understand human behavior, you must stand back. Compassion must always be the starting point. There, but for the grace of God, go I. Through long effort, I reduced my own FI (f*g idiot) score from 9 (MAGA hat) to 5 (seriously confused). Along the way, I have had bizarre ideas about "reality" and acted on them. Sometimes with tragic results. Anti-vaxxers don't have a monopoly on stupidity.

When I was about 5 years old, I grew skeptical of the stories everyone seemed to believe about some fat guy at the North Pole delivering presents for all the children of the world in one night. More than this: he made all these presents in his workshop. And he kept a list of who has been naughty and who's being nice.

I busted my parents by marking all the oranges in the house, then finding marked oranges in my stocking on Christmas morning. They immediately "fessed up" but warned me not to share the secret with my little brother. Along with millions of kids the same age, I was being invited to join the conspiracy.

It turned out that grownups are in on conspiracies on a grand scale. The next one I was confronted with went something like this:

• There is an old man in the sky-a kind of Super-Santa called "God".
• The naughty/nice list still applied but the "nice" people would live forever.
• Super-Santa created the entire Universe and was responsible for everything that happened. You could get Super-Santa to bend things your way by praying.
• And so on ...

If you can believe this, you can believe anything. 90% of Americans actually believe some version of this story. This makes Trump's "big lie" look like an innocent fib. Let's call it the HUGE lie. It's not really about God - it's about casting off from the world of evidence into the rough waters of human imagination. There they be monsters.

How do we get from Santa to Trump? My own experience illustrates the process.  Having determined that not only my parents but just about everyone was lying to me about Santa, I went on my merry way trusting people to tell me the truth about important stuff. The "God" idea was so commonly accepted that it didn't occur to my young mind that it was Santa for grown-ups. I admit to serious confusion. For example, when the teacher in Sunday School asked us to reply "present" I was upset that there were to be no presents. This silly experience illustrates how young and tender-minded I was when they started shoveling the HUGE Lie into my brain. This time, there was nobody to "clue me in". As I was to discover over the years, there seemed to be no way to test the idea. Everyone seemed to believe it. But I was skeptical. In Grade 12, I encountered Bertrand Russel's "Why I am Not A Christian", which theoretically blew up the whole hoax. However, I found that virtually nobody was interested in discussing the issue. I became a lone "agnostic". I was also trapped in the false dichotomy that ensnares many who start by questioning the HUGE lie. You eject all the spooky stuff but you are left with a "God-shaped hole". NOT believing in God does not satisfy the needs that fantasy provides. You become vulnerable to other craziness.  Many people manage to believe both the HUGE lie and a basket of completely unrelated garbage such as Alien abduction. There is never enough.

My skepticism continued for many years, but almost accidentally, I became actively interested in "Christian" teachings and the life of Jesus, but, again, nobody seemed to share my interest. Eventually, I encountered the "charismatic" flavor of Christianity - people who were very much "interested". It was a world full of magic and wonder. Faith healing. Daily communion with Jesus. And, at last community.

How do we get from a kid confused about "presents" to me being a candidate for the Ministry of the United Church? There are many forces at work but it seems to me that the main thing was finding people who actually gave a shit about deeply important matters. It was the end of my lonely search.

I must note that, once one rubs elbows with the "guys up front" - the teachers in Theology School, the priests, and ministers - nobody believes in the "official" story. The HUGE lie is a myth, supposedly valuable for "ordinary" folks. I remember one of our fantastic instructors expressing his frustration that everything he taught us would never reach the "folks in the pew". We would go on about our business "as if" the HUGE lie were true ("as if" were the exact words of the very senior minister who was my mentor).

My education for the Ministry was cut short, but that's another story. Having been "up front", I could no longer occupy a pew with a straight face. I wandered away.

So finally, in my late 20's I find that there is "no there there". Thanks to my "professional" education, I come away with a decent understanding of how these stories capture the imagination - how "myth" weaves its way into the culture to the point where few of us realize where myth ends and "reality" begins. 

Throughout history, it seems that people were unaware of any difference between the world they inhabited and the magic-filled world of myth. Since virtually all of "scripture" was written in cultures that were completely enveloped in myth, it makes no sense to ask, for example, if Jesus actually died on the cross, or even if Jesus actually existed. 

Of course, such ideas would outrage most "Bible-believing" Christians, although they are totally in line with the official education I received toward a Master of Theology. The "pros" don't talk about these things since they would quickly become unemployed if they did so. 

So, by age 30, my FI score has nudged down to maybe 6. I was no longer "agnostic", but regarding the entire sweep of Christianity (and all other religions) as a mixture of myth and outright fraud. I had the good fortune to travel the world and visit "Eastern" religions on their home turf. I was not impressed.

But still, it took me another 34 years to "connect the dots" to really understand what kind of society we wind up with if 90% of citizens believe a preposterous lie even though it actually makes almost no impact on their actual behavior. A professional geologist I met illustrates this point. On the one hand, he believed the world was created in 7 days. On the other hand, his profession required him to understand how rocks were created over millions of years Well, God just made the whole thing (fossil dinosaurs and all) in 7 days. Why not?  My case was not very different. Belief in God or not made no real difference in my life. I could think about the issue once or twice a year and, finding nobody interested, put it back on the shelf while I attended to the business of living.

But for many, the "real world" doesn't satisfy their need for excitement. Nor does the hypocritical, boring, confusing, self-contradictory world of organized religion. They need UFOs. They need conspiracy theories. They need to be under constant threat of cosmic significance. For many, this "itch" can be satisfied by fantasy. For others, brought up in a world already shot through with secret influences, the need is for stronger stuff. Such as Q-Anon. Such as microchips in vaccinations. Such as cannibal Democrats.

The road from Santa in the Sky to Donald Trump is sketched in CBC's excellent podcast, "The Flamethrowers". Way back in the birth of radio, stations needed cheap content and Bible Thumping preachers needed a way to reach more people (and pockets). We saw this in Alberta, in William Aberhart. Everywhere we see a pivot from hardcore, fundamentalist religion to politics or something spicier than "old-fashioned religion". Conspiracies fit the bill. In Aberhart's case, the call of fantasy economics was irresistible.

If you can believe in God - even a little bit - you can believe anything. In the words of Rachel Maddow, you have moved to Earth 2.

But why America? What is it about America that makes it such a fertile ground for outright denial of reality?

America was founded by half a dozen sects who simultaneously claimed their beliefs were the only correct ones and that others were mistaken. Bound for Hell even. This combination of rabid focus on made-up doctrine along with the tendency to endlessly split into more and more factions is the founding feature of Protestantism (it's in the very name). It is in the American tradition to cling proudly to one's own version of the HUGE lie and shun others - sometimes to the point of violence.

This sets the stage for charlatans of all stripes to round up "true believers" and convince them of something even nuttier than what they already believe. There is something WE know and YOU don't. What's more - you need to demonstrate your belief. You need to act. Shoot an abortion provider. Invade the Capital. It's a habit of mind.

This produces the phenomenon I call the "skunk at the dinner party". Skunks want to be more and more offensive to rule out any serious possibility of communication. If you are sufficiently counter-factual in your announcements, people simply walk away. This is not a mere difference of opinion. An encounter with one of these skunks can make you sick for days.

This is the road to mass stupidity.

Personal Performance, Personal Art

 Zen avoids making general prescriptions (although thousands of books make it seem that Zen is brain surgery). It's personal. Unique to each person.

So in discussing my personal performance, the "art" of living, I need to be myself: to "ring my own bell".

I consider the 8 fold path as great advice, though I update it considerably for the 21st century.  It's a set of "alarm bells" that go off when I have somehow wandered off the path of Zen.

The classical image of a Zen master is one who doesn't care at all about appearances. He makes no effort to bridge the gap of understanding between himself (always male) and his students. Yet he *must* be presenting himself to his students and *must* convey the art of Zen by example more than words. Zen masters turn out to have a striking presence after all, deliberately intended to convey what will "go over" with their followers.

OSHO - One of my early teachers

For some of these guys, the image is a bit "over the top", working to attract some and repel others. In any case, it's deliberate. It's performance art. In the case of the "master", one hopes that there is substance beneath the package. In Osho's case, he seemed to put out a book per week until he died.

Although I have a passion for teaching, I have little urge to be a "Zen Master". To me, Zen is simply a life well-lived. A life experienced in the full. It's perhaps just mindfulness with an appreciation for history.

A PERSONAL "IMAGE"

What sort of image should I project? How should I put myself "out there" in an authentic way? The first thing I need to do is admit that my current image says I don't give a shit what others think about me. In this corner of the world and this tick of history, such an attitude can be seen (by the don't-give-a-shit crowd at least) as kind of brave. A protest against the superficiality of the culture. Let's be honest. It's just lazy.

I should be expressing (and teaching by example) something different. Specifically, someone who does care.

Right Understanding

For example expressing a genuine interest in other people, not just an opportunity to introduce the wonderful me. Make a serious effort to remember people's names and stories. That's impressive and encourages others to do the same.

Right Thought

If I have something to say, it should be helpful and informative. A question is more likely to make an impression than a clever remark or boring kinda relevant personal story.

Right Speech

I learned years back how "salty language" can totally cancel out whatever I was trying to say. Simply thinking before talking is a habit worth learning. Always better to listen than talk.

Right Action

If I am noticed at all, my actions should be worth emulating.

Right Effort

Putting some time and effort into the skills behind the effective presentation. Such as names. Modest and energetic assistance (when asked for).

Right Mindfulness

Pay attention. Share mindful observations with others. For example, not "The liberals are ruining the country" but, "Do you smell the salt in the air?"

Right Concentration

Pay attention to the moment and the person present. Don't assume you are the star of the show. Allow others to have their moment. Be a good supporting cast.

From the "Taoist" side, I find encouragement to be a skillful and thoughtful craftsman. Whatever I create should express quality and attention to detail. Ideally, such attention will go unnoticed. It is emptiness that makes a vessel useful; openness that creates a door.

MORE LATER

The rest of it may be summed up by shedding the don't give a shit look.

Inside Performance Art

What does it feel like to be a person whose daily life is dominated by performance art? 

It's possible to be the world's greatest car salesman (certainly a performance), yet feel that "this isn't me". Perhaps the money has coaxed him away from who he really is or should be.

This is touched upon by Buddha's eight-fold path, which is:

1. Right Understanding, 
2. Right Thought, 
3. Right Speech, 
4. Right Action, 
5. Right Livelihood, 
6. Right Effort, 
7. Right Mindfulness, and 
8. Right Concentration

Buddhism is the grandfather of what we now call "mindfulness", which I think of as Buddhism without the hocus pocus.

Our hypothetical car salesman is ignoring rule 5 - Right Livelihood. He is also breaking virtually all the other rules by his focus on selling cars rather than doing something truly important (to him). He is an excellent car salesman - a job that requires a wide and deep understanding of human nature and a performance that is fine-tuned to every customer in every moment. It's a quality performance but it's a performance nonetheless. An act. He is trapped in a drama he doesn't want to be in.

Successful politicians are inevitably drawn to performance art and away from any opportunity to express their authentic self. The most successful politicians exude what we call "charisma" which is performance art.

An important aspect of human flourishing is agency: the experienced ability to influence the course of our lives -  minute by minute and hour by hour. When we devote ourselves to artful performance the "performance" is, by definition, for the benefit of others (often imaginary others). We limit our choices to those that will "go over well" with the audience. 

This is not necessarily a bad thing. A master carpenter takes great pride in his work. For him, his skill is his "art'. His performance is the creation of objects of quiet beauty and quality. His skill is the result of years of practice. It's an artful performance. But, unlike our car salesman, his craft easily incorporates all 8 of Buddha's principles. Moreover, he will frequently experience "flow" - total absorption in the task, being "in the moment". For him, this can be "right meditation".

We see that performance art is not necessarily in conflict with living a deep and meaningful life.

This insight runs through the Tao Te Ching - the basic text of Taoist philosophy. Along with Buddhism, Taoism is the other root of Zen.

Life Is Performance Art

 It is not possible to understand the 21st century without seeing the overwhelming influence of "performance art".

To be sure, this insight is not new:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players

- Shakespear

But in the time of Shakespeare, no ordinary person could acquire a million "fans" by offering online makeup advice. Nobody could step into a public shouting match while sitting with a laptop at the kitchen table.

We've always had opinions, but these days we have the feel the compulsion, even the obligation, to express our ideas through public performance.

My father's decision to join the Canadian Army and go off to war was almost casual. It was a job and a way to see the world. He didn't know much about world affairs, let alone the noble cause behind the war. There was little of the passion that millions of us seem to feel when we take to the street to publicly "demonstrate" -- feeling that, by doing this, we influence world affairs.

There was a time, not so long ago when we expressed our political opinions by casually voting from time to time.

Now, when an election doesn't follow the plot we have mistaken from reality, we feel the need to step onto a real-world stage: to commit real-world criminal acts simply to act out our need to participate in the political process.

Sometimes the real-world stakes are high. Historic. Life and death. What do we do? We "demonstrate".

We have lost the insight that all this performance is merely "signaling". In the world of Twitter and Facebook, we substitute participation in public shouting matches for actual, hand-on, real-world action to solve the problems we supposedly care about. That would eat into our Netflix time.

Increasingly, we substitute performance for meaningful action. 

If you don't understand this, the "news" will make no sense.  Looking for the logic behind Q-Anon is like looking for physics in a Superman comic.

Books are still be written about "influence" - the idea that we can somehow change other people in ways that have real-world impact. But if we read these books with a 21st-century eye, we see that these techniques tend to rely more on performance than persuasion. We don't expect to persuade through truth and logic, but rather through "smoke and mirrors".