“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
The effect of crowd culture on our Spiritual well-being
“Crowd is Untruth” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
In today’s time and age, the crowd culture is influencing each one of us, one way or another. Embellished by mass production, advertising and manipulation, it is a brainchild of profit makers and we are the mindless consumers.
One isn’t born mindless; it is a slow and gradual conditioning process. Technically, each time you fall susceptible to a certain kind of crowd behaviour, you unconsciously sell a bit of yourself. You might be selling that part of your mind and soul which you never had the chance to explore.
Anatole France said that, “If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.”
Ultimately, the disappointing consequence is that it affects our ability to think for ourselves. And if one doesn’t know how to think for oneself, one can never be familiar with that sense of self-assurance and inner peace. Crowd culture is making us spiritually weaker.
Having a sense of self and individuality is necessary for being spiritually intelligent
As Francis Vaughan puts it, “Spiritual intelligence is concerned with the inner life of mind & spirit and its relationship to being in the world…In addition to self-awareness, it implies awareness of our relationship to the transcendent, to each other, to the earth and all beings.”
There are several hurdles and blockages in one’s way to become spiritually intelligent. The idea is to know that such blockages exist and then eventually work on eradicating them.
It is necessary to stand for yourself because those who stand for nothing fall for anything. Individuality requires courage and true individuality comes from deep within. We all know, individuality which is defined by the exterior appearance and materialistic possession is short-lived, and when it arises from the centre of a being, never fails to touch hearts.
One who falls prey to the crowd culture, however, will never be able to reach that level of spiritual awareness and connect to the self and the spirit.
If you choose to go the popular way mindlessly, you might not feel like a misfit and have that temporary sense of belonging, but in the longer run you will psychologically depend upon the reactions and opinions of others. That, in all likelihood, is mental slavery. And a mind that is a slave will never be able to grow and evolve.
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds. ~ Bob Marley
Many consider standing against the crowd an act of rebellion. Being able to stand for yourself and following your own stream of thinking just means that you are aware of yourself. You unconsciously damage and erode your consciousness by neglecting your right to individuality.
You never give yourself a chance to connect with your spiritual self. Connect with yourself. Being yourself is the first step towards being a spiritually intelligent soul. You become a free-soul and you carve your own path to joy and happiness.
You don’t live with the pressure of seeking validation and experience a sense of independence that is good for your soul. Also, the moment you choose to be yourself, you attract like-minded people, and together you develop the right perspectives and positive strength to help others in realising their inner potential and making this world a peaceful place.
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