Man : Dare To Be Different (Blindness of the Heart)

Blindness is frequently used to describe severe physical visual impairment with vision.

            Deafness also known as hearing impairment, is a partial or total inability to hear.

Blindness more pervasive and more subtle and deafness more insidious than that of the ears :

-        is the blindness and deafness of the heart and mind

-       – born to be heedlessness, thoughtlessness, and the blind following of others.

    What brings about this pervasive though unnoticed blindness and deafness?

Social hypnosis – the individual’s intellect is in the state of trance into whatever society dictate or suggests to him.

 

A.  Social Expectations

     We live within a structure of social expectations, of belief, awareness, and apprehension of how others will react to our behavior, respond to our acts, and play their roles in this human theater.

        Expectations are often based on wanting things to be a certain way. As individuals we are mainly shaped by

1. What our parents expect ( excel in life, good careers and bountiful richness)
2. What our family expects ( earthly gains – cars, house and basic needs)
3. What our friends and colleagues expect ( friendship, happiness and adventures)
4. What we expect (money, career, entertainment etc )

     People living in the society develop social norms. These norms have a significant and vital role in the socialization of an individual and molding of personality. However, the world now is errant with too much commercialisation values that social norms have deviated from a social good to a consumerism good.

A lifestyle of consumerism  - trendy fashions, needs vs. luxury, wastage and hedonism.

      A normal decent person conforms to society, obeys authority, and “follows the pack”.  There is a right proper way of doing everything.  If anyone deviates from it, they must be fixed, corrected, and controlled into doing it the right proper way.

• Black and white proper ways

1.    Cultural and Social Norms

o   Norms provide the basis to construct our social expectations.

o   The normative behavior we observe deeply impacts the way we perceive our world; it becomes not only permissible but in some senses obligatory.

• Severe limitations of social life

2.    Social Roles

o   The result of internalizing normative behavior. By internalizing social roles, people learn what kinds of behavior are expected of them and adopt a set of expectations for the behavior of others. 

• Super control attitudes and behaviors

3.    Institutional Roles

o   Institutional roles are roles that people adopt: include such roles as leader or follower, employee or employer, or more-specific roles such as criminal, witness, therapist or teacher.

o   In these roles, people understand that there is a certain kind of behavior expected of them, and they strive to meet these expectations.

o   Thus, a man playing the role of a therapist in a psych ward adopts different behaviors than the same man playing the role of a witness in the courtroom, based upon the expectations provided by each role.

• Brainwashing

4.    Media

o   Focus heavily on how the presentation of people, social interactions and social problems in the media affects people's expectations and motivates their behavior.

o   The portrayal of racial minorities, gender differences and sociological classes has been a matter of concern.

o   Media influences provide people with expectations about groups to which they have never been exposed.

5.    Stereotypes

o   A preconceived social expectation. Tied to a social function, are largely arbitrary.

B. Functions of Social Norms:

i. Control behavior:

o  Social norms provide a set pattern for our behavior. It pattern our behavior acts and works, becomes custom, when socially approved.  People are expected to follow these customs.

o  For the fear of punishment the people follow these customary ways i.e. norms in their social life. In this way the behavior of the people is controlled.

ii.    Harmonize the society:

o  Another function is that the behavior of the people becomes systematic and patterned. People do according to the ways provided by the society.

o   In society harmony among members of group is created. Due to harmony of behavior certain laws can be enforce to control them.

iii.  Law and order:

o  Due to harmony in behavior, law and order can be maintained in society. For a disorderly society no law can work because of the Un-systematic behavior of people.

C.   Social Norms Fallacy

The ever influences of environment and cultural norms influence human life routines, responses, feelings, even their innermost worries, as if they are under remote control.  Undermining and  stifling the human consciousness and humanity. Such is their influence it brought a negative affect:

a)      Repressive precepts of life

§  This social hypnosis is pervasive, influencing a person day and night. He is unaware that his behavior conforms to society’s wishes and current fashionable opinion. He feels he is perfectly free.

§  The world social norms have dictated the human mind and make them zombies of the environment.

b)      Circular reasoning within a closed loop

§  They fell to every fallacy of life, day after day, until death. 

§  People outlook and aspirations are tagged with social expectations, and that the outcome is set like a chart. Education, media, norms, values, culture and lifestyles dictate to the people what they should like and dislike, what attitudes they should have, and what opinions they should express.

§  Unquestioning acceptance of customs, traditions, standards, and conventional wisdoms.

§  The customs and traditions of society

§  Paralyzing effect on intellectual development  through :

o   control of the media,

o   existing culture,

o   archive values, ethical

o   the authority of its customs, habits, and traditions 

c)       Negative reinforcement conditioning

                    i.    Close Mindless

§  The power of close minds and blind beliefs act as an obstacle to an independent thinking. This prevents people from being able to ascertain the truth and reality about the world around them.

§  Assuming that the attitude towards life, the assumptions, philosophy, and religious convictions are his own brainchild.  But it is a defeated assumptions :

o  Defeated through his submission to the pervading social hypnosis and trend.

o  Defeated by his being blindly following and beliefs of societal norms and culture

ii.   Lack of synergy and expansion

§  Man is the victims of these collective expectations, and loses the ability to think critically for themselves. From childhood, they accept as correct and true what is told to them. As they mature, they persist in accepting what they are accustomed to accepting, while believing that they are understanding things for themselves.

o  Persuasion and intimidation of society encourages people, to refrain from creative thinking.

 D.   Change
      Man in their busy pursuit of chasing their hope and dream, need to pause for a moment to think about the impact of chasing their materialistic goals, then human will realized that how trivial what man is striving for. However, society’s expectations and the daily routine have brainwashed their minds.

Introspect the social norms whether they are benefiting you or are overloading your life with.

Conformist (Negative)

§  People are natural followers and conformists in both mind and lifestyle. They see obeying society and authority as the only possible path in life without alternatives.

§  Feel comfortable by "following the pack". Rather than thinking for themselves or thinking outside the box, they think as they are "supposed" to think. They do not "dare to be different".

Free spirit (Positive)

§  Need to think for oneself, even if it goes against conventional lines, being unique and different. Do not afraid to go against the majority or crowd if you feel you are right.

§  Truth and free expression are the most important ideals, not conformity rather than being limited to a one-dimensional practical mindset.

§  Incorporating both practicality and imagination/creativity.

§  Inquisitive, seek to understand different people and what they are about.

Trend Setter (Negative)

§  Compliance with the trend and other interests in life. Deeply ingrained into the culture and soul that if you don't have it, they think there is something wrong with you or that you are some kind of freak.

§  You can see this not only in their lifestyle, but also in the fact that they are engrossed blindly on the subjects. Instead, their conformity usually is limited to surface-level necessities and practicalities.

   Open Horizon (Positive)

§  A need to have mentality and person’s cultural experience broadened, challenged, and renewed, the more that person’s mind is freed and the sharper his perception becomes.

§  His cultural perspective becomes his own. The influence that social hypnosis has over him becomes weaker and its dangerous consequences are curbed.

 Inward Socializing (Negative)

§  Socializing on business related or on an "as needed" basis. They only meet new people through mutual friends and socialize only within their own clique world's population. 

§  Outside one's clique, other people are like an "off limits zone" to them

Networking (Positive)

§  Have opportunities to meet others or get acquaintances those that have the "right" connections,

§  It will broaden your knowledge and sharpened your interaction world views on social cultures and norms.

    Square (Negative)

§  People and society tend to be extremely "square", prudish, inhibited, conservative, tight, strict, proper, serious, submissive, and hung up.

§  After all, people who are too "square" are not much fun.

 Adventurous (Positive)

§  Love action, adventure, fantasy, imagination, fun, desires.

§  Be intellectual, melodramatic, wild or passionate, feels out of sync and out of tune with the environment.

We live within a structure of social expectations, of belief, awareness, and apprehension of how others will react to our behavior, respond to our acts, play their roles in this human theater.

Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.