Let us review. Simultaneous with the natural tendency for Self-organization comes the equally natural tendency to give up one’s Individual Self to the Group Self. While the social organization of most animals evolved along with their biological evolution, the social organizations of humans evolved due to the human ability for self-reflection. The rest of the biological world participates inadvertently in groups that have been determined by their instinct, their hardwiring. Humans, on the other hand, have no natural grouping. However they have an innate tendency to group.
Further the Group itself encourages the grouping tendency.
The Group ‘encourages’ grouping?
What does this mean? Where does this disembodied group exist? Does it exist within a singular leader or cell? Or a counsel of leaders?
Just as the Self of the Disembodied Group doesn’t exist anywhere, so also the group encouragement doesn’t ‘exist’ anywhere - except in the minds of the members who make up the group. Just as birds flock with each other without a designated leader - instinctively following the path of least resistance - so is the Group mentality greater and more dominating than the Individuals making it up.
Thus to say that a group follows a leader is misleading. The group transfers their individual soul into the pool - sublimating individual desires for the good of the group. Similarly birds flock, mobs lynch, and bees form hives. The leader emerges to express the will of the Group, not their individual will, but their group will. The leader can affect the direction of the group in subtle ways. Yet s(he) will not emerge as leader unless s(he) expresses the will of the group .
The first duty (or prerequisite of) the leader is to express the will of the people. Or if the leader has intentionality, the first task is to convince the people that he is expressing their will. Once they’ve been convinced that the leader is expressing their will, then manipulating their will becomes easier. However it is more like surfing a wave, than it is drawing a picture. While the group can be led, it must be by someone who has already merged with the group values in order to direct them. Conversely, someone who has not merged with Group values will not be able to lead, no matter how many great characteristics he or she has.
While an individual can lead the disembodied group - the actual mentality of the group has no real location. Instead the group movement in relation to the individual is based around how much the cell has relinquished his or her self to the Whole. The power of group dynamics is proportionate to the extent that the individuals have given themselves up to the Group.
The Mob mentality is greater than the individual members and is supported by the collective energy of the individual cells. This Mob Mentality is an intangible manifestation of the self- organization of a collection of cells. The features don’t exist anywhere, but they exist nevertheless.
Aside: One of the underlying assumptions of most humans is that we exist in the space-time continuum. This is a very useful assumption for many circumstances. However it is just a useful construct, which does not apply to all situations. Indeed most of our existence occurs outside this four dimensional construct. When we listen to music, talk in conversation, get involved in a project, participate in a Group, we are somewhere else. We will call it the Interactive Field, for lack of a better term. It exists in transition but is nowhere - yet everywhere. Our confusion exists when we attempt to place ourselves somewhere. The only place we can imagine is the pragmatic 4D world we have created for ourselves. A flat world is a practical way of viewing day-to-day existence and yet breaks down when viewed from outer space. Similarly the 4D world of space and time breaks down when viewed from the perspective of Direct Experience.
Because humans have the ability to self-reflect, they can choose which social forms to participate in, which in turn led to evolving social forms. Conversely because animals don’t possess the ability to self reflect their social forms are automatic.
In line with this way of thinking, Leaders want to minimize the self-reflection in their followers to minimize choice of Group. Further they want maximize the numbers of reactive People because they will automatically follow the Group. This strategy makes for better followers.
Conversely, the greater the self -reflection -> the greater the notion of individual self -> the less that is relinquished to the group -> the less power the group has over the individual. Therefore while self-reflection makes us human, it also has a tendency to neutralize the power of the Group. Because of this feature, the Group tends to discourage self-reflection because it undermines the Group Will.
Self-Reflection leads to new social forms. Consequently, it leads us out of antiquated social forms. This means that it might lead to the dissolution of old Groups and the formation of new Groups. From our previous reasoning, the old Groups resist dissolution and therefore resist the power of self-reflection.
Reiterating: Relinquishing self reflection to the group means that one mindlessly responds and reacts - like an animal - joining and behaving in group dynamics like a reflex. The problem is that the group behavior might not be in best interests of family, city or planet.
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