20 Comments
May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

"The real issue is our susceptibility to the insatiable human need to belong, and the only real way to address this is to recognize that each of us needs to develop a strong sense of self—a reindividuation—in order to be fully realized in our personhood and avoid the hive mentality."

I couldn't agree more. People who have a strong sense of belonging as part of a family or community clubs, religious, or other organizations have less need to join political or other more distant, abstract groups to satisfy belonging needs. Much of the de-individuation we see today comes, I believe, as a result of breakdown of family and community structures. Isolated in apartments/houses and experiencing social interactions primarily on-line result in people, especially teens and young adults, to subsume their identity within larger "movements." Additional fuel for the de-individuation comes from a diminished sense of purposefulness for one's life. If not committed to a provider or caring role in the raising of children, people look for other sources to give them purpose, and socio-political movements can fill that void (at least for a while).

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May 10, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Great read. I called it, "collective stupidity," when my boys did stupid things when with friends but would not likely do on their own. But when our culture's highest goal is to get likes/retweets instead of aiming higher (heaven, anyone?), the quest to fit in supercedes self discipline.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Rienard, enjoyed the piece more you know as this is a topic I have been concerned about for a decade plus ( many family and friends sick of my ranting about the dangers of group pressure to conform). We have arrived at the point in time I feared. I am.not a doctor or scientist but have speculated that there is something in our human wiring that causes the conformity to occur. I discerned that partially from my study of history and partly I suppose through gut feel or intuition ( furthered by my observation of people in various settings). I also recently watched a documentary on Netflix where Germans were interviewed 30 + years after the end of WW2 who served in SS or Hitler youth groups. Very much relevant to this topic in my opinion although I realize any analogy to anything related to the Holocaust is stepping into a minefield. The point of course is that Germany in the 1930s was perhaps the worst case example of where these pressures have the potential to lead. Thanks again for an outstanding read.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Great article, and a good message to start the day with. It seems today the Socratic notion of "knowing thyself" has been completed consumed by tribalism. But as far as getting rid of social media, I realize that probably won't happen, but I'd argue that if social media magically disappeared tomorrow, our world would be a better place.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

After choosing to get my socializing from my close family, friends, and community members and removing myself from social media, my world has become brighter. It's the one benefit that having love for oneself and preferring individualism has provided me.

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May 16, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

It is very important for all who participate on social media to have a strong sense of self. And you are correct in pointing to hive mentality and the destruction that can ensue from overuse. At the same time, people who show up in a particular hive have already acknowledged some part of self because they most likely identify with the particular objectives or worldview of the hive they frequent. So in addition to having a strong sense of self, in order to be able to avoid being stuck in a particular hive and suffer the consequences, people must also posses a strong sense of wanting to understand the other hive, and be open to other points of view. These different points of view can either validate their position (see I’m right) or moderate their position (hmm, that’s a good point to consider). For it is from the process of challenging self and learning from others that makes self even more stable as the core principals of self become more vivid and well defined. It allows self to then withstand all of the attacks that come from participating in social media. It even allows self to choose to avoid certain topics when doing so lines up with self’s core principals.

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Very insightful. It made me reflect on my personal experiences in (not) fitting in with most groups - perhaps my deindividuation circuits are faulty. Thanks to RKL, it is wonderful to read thoughtful essays that aren't written in gawdawful Academese for & by ivory tower elites. He uses some specialized terms but focuses on communicating ideas rather than using word-play to puff himself up.

Thanks, again!

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Yes. A regular practice of meditation is one important ingredient in keeping the self strong and resilient.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

This is easily the best analysis I’ve read of what is going on right now and even how to fix it. You have put together in this wonderful essay many pieces that have been swimming around in my brain. Thank you! Shared “issues” have become more important to personal identity than the slow progression of individuality found through reading, meditating, and unique interests that coalesce into that brilliant and wholly unique being we call self.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Really insightful - especially the final sentence.

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May 9, 2022Liked by Rienard Knight-Laurie

Fantastic! Our journey in Life is finding harmony between “I” and “We”.

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