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The Crowd and its Servants

Against the Crowd

By Soren Kierkegaard

Since this age is marked more than ever by syncretism and politically correct forms of coercion, Kierkegaard's words must be heeded by those who value the life of the authentic individual.... It is as common as a coin of the realm to see the machinations of various politicians (and other "change agents") creating problems in order to move the social order according their agendas.  This is the age of engineered terror, the antithesis of which is not some nebulous "freedom" as suggested from the princes of this age, but rather a new form of slavery unlike anything before seen on this earth.  It behooves us not to look to the usual suspects... and to never forget the role of the crowd in Nazi Germany.

"We warn young people against going to dens of iniquity, even out of curiosity, because no one knows what might  happen. Still more terrible, however, is the danger of going along with the crowd. In truth, there is no place, not even one most disgustingly dedicated to lust and vice, where a human being is more easily corrupted – than in the crowd.

Even though every individual possesses the truth, when he gets together in a crowd, untruth will be present at once, for the crowd is untruth. It either produces impenitence and irresponsibility or it weakens the individual's sense of responsibility by placing it in a fractional category.

For instance, imagine an individual walking up to Christ and spitting on him. No human being would ever have the courage or the audacity to do that. But as part of a crowd, well then they somehow have the "courage" to do it – dreadful untruth!

The crowd is indeed untruth. Christ was crucified because he would have nothing to do with the crowd (even though he addressed himself to all). He did not want to form a party, an interest group, a mass movement, but wanted to be what he was, the truth, which is related to the single individual. Therefore everyone who will genuinely serve the truth is by that very fact a martyr. To win a crowd is no art; for that only untruth is needed, nonsense, and a little knowledge of human passions. But no witness to the truth dares to get involved with the crowd.

His work is to be involved with all people, if possible, but always individually, speaking with each and every person on the sidewalk and on the streets – in order to split apart. He avoids the crowd, especially when it is treated as authoritative in matters of the truth or when its applause, or hissing, or balloting are regarded as judges. He avoids the crowd with its herd mentality more than a decent young girl avoids the bars on the harbor.

Those who speak to the crowd, coveting its approval, those who deferentially bow and scrape before it must be regarded as being worse than prostitutes. They are instruments of untruth. For this reason, I could weep, even want to die, when I think about how the public, with its daily press and anonymity, make things so crazy. That an anonymous person, by means of the press, day in and day out can say whatever he wants to say, what he perhaps would never have the courage to say face-to-face as an individual to another individual, and can get thousands to repeat it, is nothing less than a crime – and no one has responsibility!

What untruth! Such is the way of the crowd."

Credit: The Kierkegaard quote is taken from Provocations, Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, compiled and edited by Charles E. Moore, Plough Publishing, Copyright 2002.

Provocations

Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard by Soren Kierkegaard (Author), Charles E. Moore (Editor). Perhaps the most accessible presentation of the wonderful thinking of Soren Kierkegaard available in English. Highly recommended!

 

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