Group

10:12 AM June 2, 2010.

Seems like an ordinary hot sunny day... i woke up with no one in sight since she already went to work. As I get up from bed i instinctively reach our electronic heater to prepare my coffee. Nothing like a dose of caffeine and nicotine to jumpstart my brain. When I turned it on, nothing happens... WHAT! Damn it!... seems like there's no electricity…or should I say current.. so what did i do? Well… i reach for a cigar and wait...... wait... wait... another cigar.. then wait again...30 minutes past and the current kicks in. Yey… I can finally have my coffee. While still teetering between dreamland and reality I kind of noticed that its been years since I have this peace inside my mind.. yeah sure the warring factions are still inside my head, but i think that somehow they calmed a little bit.. and relatively i call it peace…its a nice feeling.. warm and cozy. As I turn on my PC to play.. i suddenly decided to listen to my collection of some weird and some common music.. I listened to a soundtrack of Matrix Revolutions.. maybe you guys have heard of that.. the end credits. Turns out its title is 'Navras' by Juno Reactor and Jon Davis. I love that music....I’m not an expert in music.. in fact I consider myself a novice when it comes to that art...gut i guess it belongs to Techno Trance with a neo classical element to it. Its great to dive to its notes. Somehow it really reached out and riveted my head to a chaotic swirl of emotions... opposing elements come together to create this melody that is so rich and alive that it makes you want to jump like a 5 year old on a queen sized bed…yet again it transmits emotions that will hold you in your seat entranced to its beauty that you can not help but just sit back and relax. The music is a careful balance of East and West, of four cultures working together. The Rich Orchestra and chorale of the west... the strange yet rhythmic African drums… the sweet melody of Hindu Chants and the wild diverse singing of the middle east.

Sometimes I really wonder why people are always driven to bigotry.. through the years of observing and researching about the behavior of individual persons and its society I have come to notice that people really do want to clump together. No? To form groups of their own and then ostracized others because they 'out from our group'. Its really interesting that people can not live peacefully without hurting others by discrimination, by stereotyping, by ostracizing those who they believe is not worthy of their groups or by simply the acts of aggression because of difference. I have to admit that back then when I was a young idealist I scorn and abhor those practices. It makes me sick to think that people can actually do that. To simply ignore you perhaps because of your looks or beliefs. But now, I came to understand that… shall I say ritual.. or that defense mechanism.. Just like monkeys in the forest, humans are a very social creature. We enjoy the company of others and yes… it is riveted inside our genes to clump together.. its rationale is "Numbers equals strength, Strength = greater survivability". And we all know how dangerous the world is millennia ago. But now that we have reached this so called information age… why do people cling to this instinct to band together?? Simple…because it is the basic formation of civilization. Of course everything have to start somewhere… and this started from the basic unit… Family… then we breed...we see clans... then natural selection takes over then we see a village… then we see towns so on and so forth. And without people banding together for mutual support and protection, then we should have been extinct a long time ago. See? 'Herd Mentality' as sociologists call it has its advantages...it has its purpose... its a shield that protects us from the unspeakable horrors of this world... may it be physical threats or mental threats (anxiety for instance). Its not surprising if you ask Why the HELL am I wasting my time writing this discussion if there is no problem... well my friend… everything has its ugly side.. including this Herd Mentality.. Heck even the sun who is the ultimate life giving force in the solar system has its bad side. 2 billion years and it will incinerate us all in a very very very excruciating, scalding, hot, fire ball of doom...well atleast were long dead before that happens! Yey!

So herd mentality… certainly it has its good side… the other side of the coin is it leads to complacency. Sure it protects us from harm and the anxiety of everyday living however it also discourages 'Thinking'. It suppresses 'Individuality'. How the hell did i come to that conclusion? Ask the scientists…they'll give you the answer.. fine.. since I can not resist discussing this matter a little longer then I'll write what they have said albeit with a little editing done to properly transmit the thought.

Okay.. Thinking and Individuality.. well... what do you notice in the range of topics that you and your friends often talk about?? Ahh.. let's see......hmm... the topics that generally belongs to the same category over and over again.. and do you know why? Simple.... the elements in the group (elements are the people..and that includes you..well if you consider yourself a person that is..) has his or her own personality... his or her own experiences... "HEY!! So it encourages thinking because we all have different points of views! and we all think!" Shut up and let me finish... sure sure.. individual elements have different personalities and cognitive perceptions.. but you may have overlooked the fact that elements will not form into a group if the elements does not have a common ground to start from. It serves as its anchor or foundation that builts the particular group ground up. If you are still going to contend that a group can have different kinds of people in it... then your absolutely right! It is! Group have differenet elements! But the point is... they all share something in common. May it be political beliefs, right chick to boink, sports, or whatever topics requiring little or no thought to a more advanced scholarly discussion. Okay..its established...hmm..as discussed the topics generally belongs to the same range of categories…that is because the elements belonging to the same group is naturally drawn to get the approval of the group. And to get the approval of the group, we unconsciously 'moderate' our thinking just enough so that we can synchronize with the members of the group. And that synchronization leads to interesting discussion, feelings of belongingness, and approval albeit with a little loss of your individual self which is a great trade off.

Okay.. okay.. people with close minds will say yet again that "NO! I’m not loosing my self with my group! I can always say what I want and do what I want with the group because I am the BOSS!" <--- fool.............................. it really is not surprising that if we can somehow peer into the minds of his members, you will see their utter disgust. You see.. we all have a certain range.. an upper ceiling and lower floor if I may, that should one trespass irresponsibly and stupidly...then one will get the groups ire. Then you will see gossips...then you will see hatred... then you will see chaos.. then you will see low morale to the eventual dissolution of the group or one's own expulsion.

So what's the point of all this? Simple.. let us not be bigots who are always inclined to look down upon others who we see as not part of our group. Instead of isolation, why not opt for expansion? Let us open our eyes and mind to other great possibilities... other horizons to explore... other hearts to open and entertain. Honestly.. let us form a wider group... one that is understanding and tolerate of change and difference. Let us make a world wide group. After all.... we all belong to one group...'Humans'.