What does society as a whole believe?
I ask myself this question often and to be honest I have come to the conclusion, people are much like the great animal herds of Africa. When these great herds migrate they follow one another without knowing exactly where they are going but they hurry to get to the grazing area where the grass is always greener. They follow the leaders into dangerous conditions, deep water where the crocs lay waiting for a free meal.
I’ve read where people follow leaders into hell and when they get there they fight to stay or die.
What is it that makes people, even thousands of people, follow or seek after a certain person or an ideal? The herds of Africa don’t always follow the easy way but humans seem to avoid the difficulties in life by just follow in the easy paths. What makes humans go after ideas and ways of life that can lead them to destruction? History repeats, time after time, the people of certain societies hear something that sounds good to them and seems easy and they jump on board and follow along.
In today’s world we are constantly being bombarded with public polling. Industries are trying to find out what people want or what they believe. Why is it so important to ask the public, what they like or how they feel about a certain idea or political figure? Why are polls so important to those who sell for a living whether it is a product or a politician? Those who sell for a living know what they are saying and practice their crafty art with success, and speak very little about the truth, and if known, would boggle the human mine.
Rhetoric is an art, a craft that involves the mind and the mouth and in history long past, it was a subject of their schools of learning. Through the ages it has helped clear the path for several political all-stars, and religious leaders.
This being an election year everyone can count on the fact that the rhetoric will be spreading like the plague.
Politicians thrive on rhetoric and the tradition of speaking on, and on, and on. Every election year brings it to the surface. And they will always return in the election years. If you are one who enjoys debate you can always watch the political channels on television and see the House of Representatives and the Senate practice this one time art when they are in session.
The art or craft of Rhetoric has been around for hundreds of years and it was even taught in their education systems. It had developed a terrible reputation by some great philosophers. Ancient civilizations practiced it and Plato criticized its glamorized use. From religion, to lawyers, to politics, and now to radio and television it has spread across the earth from its humble beginning in the second century to the twenty first century, growing each century.
Today it is used in almost every commercial both radio and television, in the political arena and on the religious pulpit. What society believes comes down to who is the best salesman (liar) and who paints the best picture? People are much like the animals of Africa and follow blindly, as the herd goes so goes reasoning.
This person has come to the conclusion that people want to follow the easy way and will chose a good lie over the truth. Truth is too hard to swallow and doesn’t really set well with the majority. The majority wants life to be easy and the path they follow to be paved with gold.
Think they will ever find it? How and when, this people, in this nation, will wake up and discover what they have lost may never be in my life time but it will happen. There will be weeping and wailing and gashing of teeth when the truth comes home. Then they will know what they missed because they chose the easy path paved with fool’s gold.
