Escaping the Mob Mentality; R. Bearce

IN correspondence dated 1789, Thomas Jefferson observed, "I am not a federalist, because I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in any thing else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction, is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at a1L"1 The general thrust of J effer son's personal creed here is in dJividualism - personal independ ence in thought and action as opposed to the inevitable corrup tion of a collective creed. Mob Mentality - the collective complex - is what Jefferson was protesting. This creeping conta gion lurks today in the heart of many an individual - yes, even that individual who espouses per1 "Personal Faith," in Thomas J effer son on Democracy, edited by Saul K. Pad over (D. Appleton-Century Co., 1939), p.122.

Mr. Bearce is a freelance writer in Houston, Texas. 618 ROBERT G. BEARCE sonal freedom and responsibility over state paternalism. This af fliction is not always easily recog nized or diagnosed, but certain symptoms can be isolated: atti tudes of gloom and impotence, pessimism, and a mania for or ganizing. Each individual must be his own physician - through self examination - if the disease is to be eradicated and the devotees of personal freedom and individual accountability are to nurture the freedom faith. Many a person is deeply dis turbed that his country appears to be sinking ever further into the mire of socialism, but he ration alizes that his own individual ac tion is dependent upon the accom panying action of others. He for gets that a man is solely respon sible for his own, not the actions and attitudes of other men. To the extent that he surrenders respon sibility for individual initiative, to that extent he enslaves himself to Mob Mentality. Whenever a per sonal endeavor challenges him to live the freedom faith, he para1971 ESCAPING THE MOB MENTALITY 619 lyzes himself with a weak: "There's no hope. The hour is too late for a revival of freedom.

Freedom is dying." He groans that everyone is too saturated with myths and fallacies to pay any attention to his vast store of wisdom. "I'm a lone wolf in a des ert of ignorance. Nobody'll listen." That last remark is his down fall. His potential for individual action is smothered by Mob Men tality. Maybe his fellow man won't appreciate his efforts for freedom, but that isn't a burden he must bear. If his understanding of free dom is constructed upon serious reflection, sincerUy, humility, and honesty, then he should be content to allow the Truth of freedom to fight its own battles against apathy and ignorance. His initial effort - not the collective's appro bation or lack of it - ought to be his chief preoccupation. Another common symptom of the Mob Mentality is a fondness for "organizing" and organiza tions. It must be acknowledged, of course, that the organizing spirit has its place in the defense of freedom. Individuals can develop new friendships through club work. Often five people working in conj unction can accomplish more than the indi vidual alone.

Organizations enable profound discussions to be held, thus deep ening each member's insight into common goals. Material and in formation can be propagated through clubs and organizations. Efforts can be coordinated and strengthened. The organizing spirit per se is not to be condemned, but each in dividual who adds his name to a club's membership roll should keep this maxim ever in mind: Eternal v'igilance is the price of liberty! For, within the spirit of organi zing lurks the threat of Mob Men tality. Membership in the organization creates an obsession for labels that can nearly paralyze one's ef forts for freedom. Why, he is a member of the Righteous Order of Patriots - with a national mem bership of 43,281! Unfortunately, not everyone of those thousands will have been a credit to the organization. The criticism of those deviates by out siders might indeed be unj ust, vile, and slanderous; but each member should ask himself just how much he gains, or loses, by stubbornly adhering to the respective label of his own particular group . . . es pecially when such an obsession causes outsiders to pigeonhole him along with the black sheep of the group. He should ask himself whether his position on freedom will be judged for its inherent worth or whether it will be smothered under abuse of the 620 THE FREEMAN October label. Such is the challenge to be faced by individuals of various freedom sects today: "Conserva tives," "Libertarians," "Objec tivists," "Classical Liberals," and so on.

J\n acceptance of proven truths - propagated by the "organiza tion" - should never become an ab solute substitute for individual in quiry. It is one thing to possess a humility willing to accept the hard-earned wisdom of others ... but something else entirely to allow that wisdom to discourage one's own ventures into the un known. Thus, organizational mem bership has a tendency to absorb the individual, diluting his own creativity and ingenuity. If each individual practices "eternal vigilance" and protects his identity against Mob Men tality, then his organization or as sociation with other free men will indeed prosper. Each member will contribute his individual talents, wisdom, and energies. If "eternal vigilance" is not the watchword, each individual will be reduced to the lowest common denominator as legalism, tradition, and obedience become the club chant. Mob Mentality sometimes reaps its victims in ··greatest number at the level of Political Parties. Here the individual must forsake in tegritY,honesty, and the right to be himself ... that is, unless he is a real stalwart and practitioner of "eternal vigilance." Always hover ing above the individual who ven tures into the dangerous waters of political party officialdom is the admonition that he is no longer an individual. Wherever men sac rifice personal conviction for the collective creed, there you will find the germs of Mob Mentality glee fully destroying the individual ...

even under the slogans of "the people's will," "democracy," and "for the good of society." Today, the advocates of freedom and the free market remain on the defensive, mainly because they are preoccupied with the extending tide of socialism, collectivism, and statism. Although our efforts for freedom should be directed at countering these forces, so too should we devote more of our en ergies to self-examination, lest we find ourselves debilitated by Mob Mentality. The commission of free men to day .is to sow the good seed of truth, not glancing over the shoulder at the mass flight of hu manity toward the pit of apathy and collectivism. Freedom will fight its own battles and free men will reap the blessings of freedom only so long as the individual de votees of freedom are willing to declare along with Luther: "Here I stand . .. I can do no other." ~ CLARENCE B. CARSON THE FOUNDING OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC 3 The Colonial Religious Experience THE ENGLISH HERITAGEwas modi fied and transfigured by colonists out of nearly 170 years of experi ence. It is frequently asserted that the United States is a young na tion, as such things go, and the people are sometimes described as being in their youth. Such notions, if taken to mean that Americans are short on experience, will not hold up on examination. Ameri cans have had not only the experi ence of the human race before them - such of it as they carried with them as furniture in their minds or recalled in the literature with which they were familiar but also a broader and more cos mopolitan experience than a homogeneous people who have re mained in their homeland. More over, they had a .long colonial ex perience which was quite varied since the colonies grew up distinct from one another. The two facets of that experience to have most direct bearing on the founding of the United States were the re ligious and the political.