Chapter 10 Chapter 9 Public Opinion Phobia

Few people can live happily unless their way of life and their views of the world are generally accepted by those with whom they are socially related, and especially by those with whom they live.This is one of the characteristics of modern society.In this society, people are divided into various classes, and these classes have profound differences in moral values ​​and beliefs.This state of affairs began with the Reformation, and, some might say, with the earlier Renaissance; since then the division has been more pronounced.Protestants and Catholics disagree not only on theology, but on many more specific matters.The bourgeoisie cannot tolerate the various activities that the aristocracy allows, and those liberals and free thinkers do not recognize religious worship.Today, across the continent, there are profound differences between socialists and others, not only in politics but in almost all aspects of everyday life.In English-speaking countries, differences are also diverse.In some classes art is a pleasure; in others it is an evil, so long as it is modern.In some classes, loyalty to the Empire is the highest virtue; in others, it is considered a vice; and in a third class, it is even a form of ignorance.Conservatives considered adultery a heinous crime, but many now consider it excusable, if not commendable.Divorce is absolutely forbidden in Catholicism; but many non-Catholics regard divorce as a necessary relief from married life.

Because of all these differences of opinion, a person with certain interests and beliefs may find himself effectively a rejected person in one community; Then he is recognized as a completely normal person.Many misfortunes, especially those of the young, have arisen from this.A young man or young woman adopts some popular ideas, only to find that in the circumstances of his life they are cursed.So this young man is prone to have the idea that he regards the only environment he is familiar with as the whole world.It is difficult for them to believe that in another community in another place, opinions that they are afraid to express for fear of being perceived as outrageous will be accepted as common knowledge.Because of ignorance of the world, people go through too much needless suffering, sometimes only in their youth, but many throughout their lives. This isolation is not only a source of suffering, but also a source of suffering in the face of hostility. In order to maintain mental independence, a lot of energy is wasted.Nine times out of ten this isolation produces a timidity which prevents one from probing deeply into the new thought and then tracing it to its logical conclusion.One should not be in such a position for long, for both fatigue and timidity in the search for new ideas are great hindrances to happiness.The Bronte sisters never met a congenial soul before their book was published.This does not affect Emily, who is brave and dignified; it does affect Charlotte, whose worldview, despite her brilliance, remains largely that of a governess.Like Emily Bronte, Blake lived in a very lonely environment, and just like her, he was strong enough to resist the negative influence of the environment, because he never doubted that he was right and his opponent was wrong of.His attitude towards public opinion is evident from the following lines:

the only person i ever knew he almost made me sick It was Fusli: both Turk and Jew. So, dear Christian friend, how will you deal with them? But few people have such great power in their own inner life.A compassionate environment is essential for almost everyone.Of course, for most people, their circumstances are compassionate.This environment instills in the minds of the young the prevailing prejudices, and makes them adapt instinctively to the beliefs and habits with which they are exposed everywhere.But for a small number of people, almost all of whom are intellectual and artistic, this default attitude is difficult to accept.For example, a person who grows up in a small country town finds at a very early age that he is surrounded by an attitude of hostility to everything that is conducive to physical and mental development.If he wanted to read serious books, the other children looked down on him, and the teacher told him they were distracting.If he was interested in art, he would be considered unmanly by his peers and bad character by his elders.No matter how respectable the career he aspires to be, as long as it is rare in the circle of his life, others will say that he wants to be famous, and even say that his father's old job is really suitable for him.If he even showed any signs of trying to criticize his parents' religious beliefs or political leanings, he was likely to be in serious trouble.For all these reasons, adolescence is an unfortunate time for most young men and women of unique talents.To their more ordinary companions it was a time of joy and joy, but to themselves they hoped to learn something serious, yet in the particular society into which they happened to be born In the class, no matter whether it is with the elders or with the peers, this kind of thing cannot be found everywhere.

When these young people go to college, they may find like-minded people and spend a few happy years together.After college, if they are very lucky, they may find a job where they can find like-minded friends, partners.A talented person can usually find a group of like-minded people in big cities like London and New York, where he doesn't have to pretend to be hypocritical to restrain himself.But if his employment forces him to live in a narrow circle, especially if it requires him to show respect and deference to ordinary people, say, a doctor or a lawyer, he may find himself a whole life, All had to hide their true interests and beliefs from the people they saw every day.This is especially prevalent in the United States due to the vastness of the land.In those very remote places, no matter whether it is north, south, east or west, there are some lonely people who have learned from books that they will no longer feel lonely in other places, but they have no chance to live there, and they only hope to have a chance Have a like-minded conversation with someone.Under such circumstances, true happiness is impossible for those slightly more fragile than the temperament of Blake and Emily Bronte.If happiness is to be possible, some means must be found by which the arbitrariness of public opinion is lessened, or eliminated, so that the gifted few can know each other and find pleasure in their social intercourse.

In many cases, needless timidity only makes the problem worse.Some people are indifferent to public opinion; others are horrified by it, for to them it is always a tyrannical thing.Dogs bark more and bite more when humans are frightened than when they show contempt, and human societies share this trait.If you fear the society, you give others a chance to capture you, and if you dismiss it, it begins to doubt its own power and tends to let you go.Of course, I do not intend to advocate an attitude of extreme contempt and provocation.If you hold views at Kensington which are popular in Russia, or vice versa, you are responsible for the consequences.What I want to talk about is not these extreme forms, but those relatively mild transgressions that are beyond traditional customs, such as dressing out of fashion, not joining a certain religious organization, not reading certain books of wisdom, and so on.Mistakes of this kind, if not intended to be provocative, but the result of lighthearted, careless and spontaneous behavior, are tolerated even in the most conservative societies.These behaviors may become psychotic-like behaviors that are inexcusable to others and acceptable to him.It's mostly a matter of goodwill and friendliness.Conservatives are angry at people for breaking with tradition, mostly because they see the break as criticism of themselves.If an unconventional man can make it clear to them, even the most foolish, in a friendly manner, that he does not intend to criticize them, they will forgive him.

But this method of dodging censure is of no use to those whose interests and viewpoints are quite unlikely to command popular sympathy.This lack of sympathy makes them unhappy and adopts a defiant attitude, even though outwardly they are submissive or do their best to avoid any sharp confrontation.Consequently, those who are out of tune with the traditional habits of their own class group tend to appear prickly, restless, and lack a broad sense of humor.These same people, if they are placed in another group where they are not reproached for differing views, will completely change their personality traits; Stubborn and headstrong to approachable; from self-centered to sociable and extroverted.

Therefore, whenever possible, young people who find themselves out of step with their surroundings should, in choosing their career, try to choose one that offers them the opportunity to find like-minded huge loss of income.They often know little that this is possible, because their view of the world is very limited, and it is easy to imagine that the same prejudices to which they are accustomed here are everywhere in the world.In this regard, the older generation can give the young a lot of guidance, because it requires considerable social experience. In the present age of psychoanalysis it is customary to assume that any young man who is out of tune with his surroundings is due to some degree of psychic disturbance.I think this is totally wrong.Take, for example, a young man whose parents think evolution is evil. In this case, the only thing that would deprive him of his parents' sympathy is a matter of knowledge.It is true that being out of harmony with one's surroundings is unfortunate, but this misfortune is not always worth avoiding at all costs.When this environment is full of ignorance, prejudice and cruelty, it is a virtue to be out of harmony with it.To some extent, the above situation occurs in almost all environments.Galileo and Kepler had "dangerous thoughts" (as they say in Japan), as did the most brilliant minds of our time.It is not advisable to think that social consciousness should become so strong, so developed, that the rebels fear the general hostility of society which their ideas provoke.What is really advisable is to find ways to make this hostile attitude as weak as possible and lose its influence as much as possible.

Today, this problem exists mainly among young people.If a person is in the right occupation and the right environment, he is likely to escape the persecution of society; but when he is still young, when his merits have not been tested, he is often in the position of those ignorant people. In mastery.These ignorant people think they can make judgments about things they don't know, but when they know that a young boy knows more than people with extensive experience and experience like themselves, they can't help feeling angry.Many young men who were at last freed from the tyranny of these ignorant ones, after a long and arduous struggle and mental repression, were bitterly disappointed and demoralized.According to the rather light-hearted saying that genius is destined for success, persecution of the abilities of young people can do little harm.But there's no good reason to accept that claim anyway.This statement is like the view that a murderer must show his feet.Obviously, all the murderers we know of have been discovered; but who knows how many more have not been discovered?Likewise, the geniuses we hear of succeed only after overcoming many difficulties, but there is no reason to say that many geniuses do not die in youth.Furthermore, it is not just a question of genius, but of talents that society also needs.And it's not just a question of standing out, it's also a question of standing out without being disappointing or excessively draining one's ability.From this point of view, the growth path of young people should not be prescribed too rigidly.

It is advisable for the old to respect the wishes of the young; it is not advisable for the young to respect the wishes of the old.The reason is simple, that in both cases we are really considering only the lives of the young, not the lives of the old.If young people try to interfere in the lives of their elders, such as opposing the remarriage of widowed parents, it is just as wrong as elders trying to interfere in the lives of young people.Old and young alike, once they have reached the age of forty and reason, have the right to make their own choices and, if necessary, to make mistakes.It would be a mistake to tell the young to obey the elders in every great matter.For example, as a young man, you would like to learn to act on stage, but your parents are against it, the reason is that acting is disgraceful or your social status is low, and you are looked down upon.They may exert all kinds of pressure to force you to give up the idea; they will say that you will definitely regret it in a few years; Unfortunate end.They may be right that stage performances are not for you, of course, because you may not have talent and a bad voice.If that's the case, it won't be long before you see it from an actor, at which point you'll have plenty of time to choose another career.Parental opinion should not be the main reason for giving up your own efforts.If you insist on your ideals and pursuits despite their persuasion, they will change their minds very quickly, and this change will often come faster than you or they themselves expected.On the other hand, if you hear that those in the know don't agree with you, then forget it, because for beginners, this kind of expert opinion is often worth listening to.

I think that, generally speaking, people pay too much attention to the opinions of people other than experts, and that's the case in every detail.Of course we ought to respect public opinion in matters such as freedom from hunger and prison, but voluntary submission to unnecessary arbitrary opinion in any other matter is likely to result in many affect people's well-being.Take consumption as an example.Many people spend their money in ways very different from their own interests, often simply because they think that the only way to win the respect of their neighbors is to see if they can own a nice car, Can you afford a grand banquet?In fact, anyone who has money to afford a car will end up being more respected if he would rather walk on foot, or build a library with the money, than if he does it like a grown-up.Of course, we don't have to intentionally mock public opinion, which would place us in a more chaotic situation.But a sincere and fair indifference to it will be the strength and source of happiness.A society of people who are not overly humble and obedient to traditional customs is more colorful than a society where everyone acts in the same way.When the personalities of all people are developed, and the characteristics of various types are preserved, it makes it worthwhile for us to meet new people of all kinds, because they are not mere copies of people we have already met.This used to be a prerogative of the aristocratic class, who were determined by their birth and allowed themselves to behave eccentrically and impermanently.In the modern world, where we are losing this foundation of social freedom, it is necessary to be conscious of the dangers of uniformity.I am not advocating that people should be consciously engaged in eccentric behavior, because it is as pointless as conservativeness.I'm just saying that a person should go with nature, and as long as his spontaneous hobbies are not anti-social, he should be allowed to express them naturally.

In the modern world, thanks to quick and easy transportation, people are less dependent on geographical proximity than ever before. Those who own cars can consider anyone who lives within twenty miles of them as a neighbor.Therefore, they have greater power in choosing their partners than they did earlier.In a densely populated area a man must be unlucky not to find like-minded friends within a twenty-mile radius.The notion that one should be familiar with one's next-door neighbor has disappeared in densely populated centers but persists in small towns and rural areas.This kind of concept has become very stupid now, because it is no longer necessary to rely on neighbors in social communication.Modern people are more and more likely to choose friends based on their own interests and preferences, not just on the basis of geographical location.Happiness follows the will.The intercourse of like-minded people has increased a great deal.There is reason to expect that social intercourse will develop more and more in this direction, and there is reason to believe that in this way the loneliness which still plagues many nonconformists will gradually be diminished so that Finally disappear.There is no doubt that this will increase the happiness of the people.But this will certainly reduce the sadistic pleasure of the conservatives who get their pleasure from manipulating people at will these days.I do not think, however, that this is a pleasure to which we must give so much attention in order to preserve it. Opinionphobia, like other forms of fear, is depressive and hinders personal growth.If this fear is still strong, it is difficult to achieve anything great; and it is impossible to achieve that kind of spiritual freedom that constitutes true happiness, because the essence of happiness consists in the way we live and speak from the bottom of our hearts. Impulse, rather than accidental interest and the desire of those who happen to be our neighbors, or even our relatives, the fear of our neighbors is no doubt less than it used to be, but now there is a new fear.Namely, the fear of newspapers.It's as terrifying as medieval witch hunts.When newspapers deliberately make a scapegoat for a person who may not be harmless at all, the results are dire.Fortunately, the vast majority escaped this fate through their obscurity, but as the means of propaganda improved and improved, so did this new form of social persecution.For the individual who is its victim, this is by no means a situation that can be resolved by contempt and contempt alone.I think that there should be a stricter law than the existing libel crime, and whatever one thinks of the principle of a free press, anything that makes life unbearable for innocent people should be prohibited; even if what they say or do is accidental It is also not allowed to maliciously publicize and cause them to suffer damage to their reputation.However, the only cure for this evil is to increase public tolerance.And the best way to increase tolerance is to greatly increase the number of those who enjoy real happiness and therefore do not inflict pain on their fellows in order to derive pleasure from it.