Simultaneously with the coronavirus epidemic, we can see the development of several mental epidemics (they are also mass psychogenic illness). A mental epidemic is a simultaneous manifestation and epidemic spread of certain ideas of "memes" among a large number of people, which lead to their unusual destructive behavior. Mental epidemics have been known for a long time, and they are still alive today.
In 1266, a wave of self-flagellation swept through Europe. At the same time, the tendency to such behavior was transmitted, it was only necessary for observers to look at it for an hour. The epidemic of the St. Vitus dance in the 14th century acquired a similar scale. Worst of all, the mental epidemic intensified during the 1348-1349 plague pandemic and contributed to the spread of the infection.
These days, these are most often local outbreaks: faces of evil in the bushes and screaming schoolgirls in Malaysia (2019), abduction of penises by an evil spirit in Nigeria in the 90s, gin infesting or freezing from the inside in factories in Singapore in the 70s. Sometimes a psychic epidemic can spread more widely, for example, the epidemic of laughter in Tanzania in the 60s, when hundreds of people were stricken with uncontrollable laughter, then the epidemic spread to neighboring villages and the outbreak died out only after a year and a half.
All psychic epidemics have similar distribution laws. Thus, an outbreak of self-flagellation that struck thousands of people in Europe began with a mentally ill boy in Europe. So in the modern world, politicians, media and propagandists provoke mental epidemics, in which ordinary people begin to hate other people (and go to fight or join the ranks of radicals), start destructive behavior (from refusal of vaccinations, parades during an epidemic to the burning of 5G towers). Individual characteristics, such as increased suggestibility, high levels of stress and uncertainty, and low levels of education, make a person defenseless against mental infections.
What to do? Einstein asked, "Is it possible to control the mental evolution of the human race in such a way as to make it resistant to psychosis of cruelty and destruction?" Society needs nerd immunity to resist psychic epidemics, just like herd immunity in infections.
Investments in culture, education, education of the internal system of values and beliefs, self-identity - all this gives a reliable immunity against mental epidemics. True, modern governments relying on propaganda are unlikely to be inspired by this goal.
But research shows that you don't need half of your sympathizers to make changes in society, only 10% of confident people are enough. Therefore, educate your relatives and friends, form nerd immunity. If we ourselves are not missionaries of our ideas, they will not triumph by themselves.
Author: Andrey Beloveshkin
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