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Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Stupidity, an even more dangerous enemy of the good than malice
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most famous theologians of the twentieth century, a man of extraordinary personal courage and an active anti-fascist executed in a German concentration camp a few weeks before the surrender of Germany, 9 April 1945
Against the evil you protest, it is possible to expose, in an extreme case it is possible to suppress by force; the evil always carries within itself the germ of samorazdrazheniya, leaving the person at least an unpleasant aftertaste.
Eighteen million eight hundred thousand two hundred fifty one
Against stupidity we are defenseless. There is nothing to achieve neither protests nor force; the arguments do not help; the facts, contrary to their own judgment, just don't believe — in these cases, even a fool becomes a criticism, but if the facts are irrefutable, they simply reject as meaningless coincidence. The fool, in contrast to the villain, completely pleased with himself; and even become dangerous if annoyed that easily, he goes into attack. Here is the reason that stupid man suit with greater care than before to evil. And in any case can not try to convince a fool reasonable arguments, it's hopeless and dangerous.
Can we cope with stupidity? To do this, you must try to understand its essence.
You know that stupidity is not so much intelligent as human flaw. There are people extremely smart and yet stupid, but there are theloume, which can be termed as anything but a fool. With astonishment we make a discovery in certain situations.
Not so much the impression that stupidity is an inborn flaw, how many come to the conclusion that in certain circumstances people uglublyaetsya themselves or give themselves besot.
Thirty six million nine thousand eight hundred eighty four
We observed further that closed and single people affected by this lack less than inclined to sociability (or doomed) individuals and groups of people. So stupidity appears to be sociological rather than psychological problem. It is not that other, as reaction of the individual to the influence of historical circumstances, side psychological phenomenon in a certain system of external relations.
On closer examination it turns out that any powerful reinforcement of external power (whether political or religious) affects a significant portion of people stupidity. The impression that it's a sociological and psychological law. The power of some needs the folly of others.
The process is not in a sudden degradation or extinction of some (say, intellectual) human instincts, and that person, depressed by the sight of crushing power, is deprived of internal autonomy and (more or less unconsciously) denies the search of their own position in the emerging situation.
Stupidity is often accompanied by stubbornness, but this should not mislead about its lack of independence. Communicating with a man just the same, I feel that not talking with him, not with his personality, and mastered them with slogans and appeals. He is under a spell, he is blinded, he is defiled and polluted in his nature. It is now becoming a weak weapon, the fool is capable of any evil and yet not able to recognize it as evil. Here lies the danger of the devil's use of human evil that can permanently ruin it.
But here is where it becomes quite clear that to overcome the stupidity can not act the teachings, but only an act of liberation. However, it should be recognized that genuine inner liberation in the majority of cases becomes possible only when it is preceded by the release of the external, until that happens, we should leave all attempts to influence the fool's conviction. In this situation, the obvious futility of all our efforts to comprehend on what he thinks "the people" and why this question was totally unnecessary in relation to people, thinking and acting in the consciousness of their own responsibility.
"The beginning of wisdom the fear of the Lord" (PS 110, 10). The Scripture says that an internal liberation of man for a responsible life before God is the only real overcoming stupidity.
By the way, these thoughts about stupidity still contains a certain amount of peace they do not allow us to consider most people stupid under any circumstances. In fact, it all depends on what stake leaders on human stupidity or internal autonomy and minds of the people.published
© Dietrich Bonhoeffer
P. S. And remember, just changing your mind — together we change the world! ©
Source: //izbrannoe.com/news/mysli/glupost-eshche-bolee-opasnyy-vrag-dobra-chem-zloba-/
Against the evil you protest, it is possible to expose, in an extreme case it is possible to suppress by force; the evil always carries within itself the germ of samorazdrazheniya, leaving the person at least an unpleasant aftertaste.
Eighteen million eight hundred thousand two hundred fifty one
Against stupidity we are defenseless. There is nothing to achieve neither protests nor force; the arguments do not help; the facts, contrary to their own judgment, just don't believe — in these cases, even a fool becomes a criticism, but if the facts are irrefutable, they simply reject as meaningless coincidence. The fool, in contrast to the villain, completely pleased with himself; and even become dangerous if annoyed that easily, he goes into attack. Here is the reason that stupid man suit with greater care than before to evil. And in any case can not try to convince a fool reasonable arguments, it's hopeless and dangerous.
Can we cope with stupidity? To do this, you must try to understand its essence.
You know that stupidity is not so much intelligent as human flaw. There are people extremely smart and yet stupid, but there are theloume, which can be termed as anything but a fool. With astonishment we make a discovery in certain situations.
Not so much the impression that stupidity is an inborn flaw, how many come to the conclusion that in certain circumstances people uglublyaetsya themselves or give themselves besot.
Thirty six million nine thousand eight hundred eighty four
We observed further that closed and single people affected by this lack less than inclined to sociability (or doomed) individuals and groups of people. So stupidity appears to be sociological rather than psychological problem. It is not that other, as reaction of the individual to the influence of historical circumstances, side psychological phenomenon in a certain system of external relations.
On closer examination it turns out that any powerful reinforcement of external power (whether political or religious) affects a significant portion of people stupidity. The impression that it's a sociological and psychological law. The power of some needs the folly of others.
The process is not in a sudden degradation or extinction of some (say, intellectual) human instincts, and that person, depressed by the sight of crushing power, is deprived of internal autonomy and (more or less unconsciously) denies the search of their own position in the emerging situation.
Stupidity is often accompanied by stubbornness, but this should not mislead about its lack of independence. Communicating with a man just the same, I feel that not talking with him, not with his personality, and mastered them with slogans and appeals. He is under a spell, he is blinded, he is defiled and polluted in his nature. It is now becoming a weak weapon, the fool is capable of any evil and yet not able to recognize it as evil. Here lies the danger of the devil's use of human evil that can permanently ruin it.
But here is where it becomes quite clear that to overcome the stupidity can not act the teachings, but only an act of liberation. However, it should be recognized that genuine inner liberation in the majority of cases becomes possible only when it is preceded by the release of the external, until that happens, we should leave all attempts to influence the fool's conviction. In this situation, the obvious futility of all our efforts to comprehend on what he thinks "the people" and why this question was totally unnecessary in relation to people, thinking and acting in the consciousness of their own responsibility.
"The beginning of wisdom the fear of the Lord" (PS 110, 10). The Scripture says that an internal liberation of man for a responsible life before God is the only real overcoming stupidity.
By the way, these thoughts about stupidity still contains a certain amount of peace they do not allow us to consider most people stupid under any circumstances. In fact, it all depends on what stake leaders on human stupidity or internal autonomy and minds of the people.published
© Dietrich Bonhoeffer
P. S. And remember, just changing your mind — together we change the world! ©
Source: //izbrannoe.com/news/mysli/glupost-eshche-bolee-opasnyy-vrag-dobra-chem-zloba-/
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