We individual humans are spectacular beings, full of wondrous imaginative ideas, and we are prone to caring, benevolent behavior in our natural settings. At the same time, a given group of humans is as stupid as a stack of bricks. 

Individual vs. Group Mind

 As individuals, the things that we know are true, real and factual are often evident; we know what's right and wrong naturally, and as children we know no difference in ourselves and the other humans. Those same individuals, when joining the group mind, might find themselves savagely attacking innocent people, and possibly even demanding laws which don't really suit the individual human being. Please allow me to provide some examples.
 

Marijuana

 Whether it be for medicine, recreation, or food, fiber and fuel, marijuana has been shown to have some uses in the human's world. The plant isn't dangerous, as we all know, and has benefits that can actually help humanity, which we also all know well. 

 
When we were young, we might have questioned the illegality of the harmless plant, and we may have even imagined a day when it would be considered simply another garden herb like sage or dill, or even the potent rosemary or the medicinally powerful garlic. We may have presumed that the plant was forbidden because the lawmakers of the world were old and out-of touch with the real truth, and that when we took over, we would change that obviously flawed logic.  

 What happened? Nothing. The enlightened bunch of dreamers who imagined such silliness either died or got old themselves, and now when there is talk of 'legalizing' cannabis, it always is done in the context of, 'Who gets to be the dealer?' So it was really all about money. The stack of bricks has spoken.  

 Government  

 'I don't need a ruler, I am my own leader!' That may be the cry of the individual, who realizes that most laws were made for someone else, and that we all get along fine without someone telling us we can't murder each other, or that stealing is wrong. Obvious stuff, needless pontification about pointless topics, an individual might say. 

The group mind thinks differently though. The group's mind can be convinced that leadership is needed and desirable, and that without a strong organizational body of government, we would all become savages and utter chaos would break out.  

Individuals know each other, and know better than to expect violence or deceit from our neighbors, family and friends. The group mind? That stack of bricks suggests that we are not to be trusted with the responsibility of ruling ourselves, that we are incapable, and that rulers are needed to keep order in the world. 

 
Good people in a group mind mentality will quickly decide that everyone else is bad, and will need to be controlled by an authority of some sort. What happened to those individuals who knew better? Still here, still knowing better, but looking around in astonishment as the group mind steers the population into mindless stacks of dangerous bricks.  

 Driver's Licenses?

 Anyone who has ever driven a car probably first operated such a machine without a license. Upon receiving their new driver's license though, their driving skills don't necessarily improve with the addition of the license, but even if the idea of driving a car without one might be entertained by an individual, the group mind doesn't trust us to travel around safely unless we have that little license card.
 

The list is endless though.  

 * Money- Having no intrinsic value to an individual, a group will still greedily take as much as possible of this worthless 'paper', and will commit mass murder for it through group-approved wars.

 * War- Nobody wants war. The group mind though-- always present-while-absent, will keep wars going for years at a time, without questioning the morality of killing other humans for their resources or money.

 * Voting- Every individual knows that the political system under which they live is illegitimate, immoral and wicked, and that it has always been those things. Then, every four years or so, they somehow demand that the same system should guide their culture, and they legitimize the immoral device by showing up to insist on being ruled by it. This isn't even a stack of bricks, it's more like several loathsome piles of broken building material gone to waste.  

 The Group Mind Wins  

 Individuals can think what they like, it doesn't really matter, because the group mind will call the shots in the end. Individuals can imagine a better world if they want to, but the group mind thinks that those individuals are trying to collapse their system, and the group mind wins. 

 
Next time you have a thought of your own, remember that the group is not going to like it. There may be people who like your idea, but they don't get to approve out loud unless the group mind approves, and the group mind will not approve unless your idea is piped out of a TV set by a person who has been approved by the group.  

 Detaching ourselves from the group mind can be a lonesome path since the group's mind is so absurd, we then must risk offending our friends and the entire group when we point out that absurdity.  

 Can individuals influence the group mind? Can we humans begin to guide humanity using that same collective mind? Yes, but it's too late-- some other individuals thought of it first and beat you to it, forming a culture that is already established, already piled or stacked in hopeless masses of brick, telling me and you what we can think, say and do. The group mind is made up, and while lacking intelligence, it has the power over individuals simply because everyone agreed to it.  

 Are we humans, or are we bricks? If you ask me, we are individual god-like creators who make the world with each thought-- but the group has never asked me what I think, and that group wouldn't hear me if I screamed it. As a creator, I helped to make this stupid group mind, and I'm responsible for it's faults and it's attributes, but without some help here, I think it would be impossible to change that mind. I'm asking for help now.  
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artwork by me

 thanks for reading along, this was written by

 @therealpaul