Pretty much anywhere I go it is: ‘let’s get together’, ‘get in with this group’, ‘if we can just get our ideas to win’, ‘if we can just demolish the ideas of our counter-groups’… type thinking and acting. It is explicit in many places, but it is implicit in almost every major social action people seem to do.
Be it their church or temple or their politics or their art or whatever.
Oddly, one can contrast the very mindset to much of commercialism. Brand building. Corporate thinking. Come buy from us, and always buy from us. Our product is best, better then our competitors.
A bit too alike to really be able to argue it is a coincidence.
I think, the main problem, however, with this sort of thinking is that it is a ruse. What really appeals is the economy of social praise.
One joins and learns to buy and trade in their new group’s currency of social praise.
You climb the group’s ladder, your praise becomes even more valuable.
Problem is, it consumes your entire life. And that praise further can be addictive and blinding all at the same time. It helps foster dream words which social bubbles naturally provide. Typically, these bubbles are strictly delusional, regardless of the confidence the believers put into it.
Further, who really thinks that people under 100 are not as but mere infants? If you think otherwise, you greatly overvalue people’s capacities.
Can such people truly solve any major problem on their own without causing as much or more trouble at the same time?
I do not think so, not of them, not of my own self.
© 2026 – SoulSequel
18 responses to “Maybe the Whole Idea of ‘Social Change by People’ Is Flawed?”
There’s this “new wisdom” that large/strong/loud enough groups can FORCE OTHERS to change: whether through bullying, “alternative facts” (unsubstantiated claims, outright lies), through threats, or just by producing enough noise and damage.
It totally flies in the face of older, time-honored wisdom like “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. But the “alternative wisdom” has traction because it’s infinitely easier (and feeds the feelings and the ego) far more to point the finger and insist it is OTHERS who need to change.
I do not disagree with the quote “you must be the change you wish to see in the world”, that I hold to very strongly. But, then, really that is just refactored Christianity. Really, basically anything Jesus said on focusing on one’s self.
I view this as a time honored system, ever since the Reformation. Authority has been in contest, flux, quite often. People have been allowed to have a free economy and freedom of ideas.
So, of course, many flock to the worst. Few are those who are chosen, many are called.
Actually that quote is credited as coming out of Hinduism; giving credence to the notion that success not withstanding, all religions/belief-systems have a common thread of seeking Truth.
My observation is that as a species, we tend to flock to the “easiest”. Protesting social movements live in the mindset of FEELING like you’re doing something without actually making any personal changes yourself. They march around shouting that “others” need to change and do something — and get a heady feeling-fix for their troubles.
There was a time I approved of the quote, “Many are called; few are chosen”. But it more accurately should read, “Many are called, few answer”. Or “All are chosen, but few choose to do much about it”.
It levels the playing field AND helps mitigate the ego of those who might consider themselves “the Chosen”.
Most I find who accent their chosenness also seem to accent their belief that they are good because of the praise they have earned from their peers for all of their good deeds, by their own wisdom and their own strength.
Which completely contradicts the context of the statement.
What I hear, out there, certainly are a lot of very loud voices “in the name of Christ” stating some of their very ‘not Christ like’ beliefs. Beliefs that could only have been smelt in a cauldron of ignorance of the gospel.
I have not found any of these who understand the context of the statement Christ said.
So, effectively, they also entirely miss the meaning. Are they making assumptions? Certainly. There has hardly been a better pattern.
On your experience, you probably have experienced a much more realistic sample set.
For me, the verse has a lot of ramifications, but usually when I talk about it, I am talking about how you can see if someone believes you or not.
If someone does not, they do not. There is no manner of forcing which can be done about it, except for miracles.
Miracles are, as far as I know, an option.
Anyway, in general, my view is that right now, things are very murky. There is not a path forward.
Within, there is always much to do.
I think it’s a lot like when Jesus commented in the idea of charity: it should be done “so the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing”. The nano-second I try to use a charity or “goodness” as validation of my own goodness — it spins sideways and augurs in. Maybe quickly, or maybe over time.
I seem to remember it was Paul who commented that he was constantly aware that there was no good in him (especially considering his damning past) and that any appearance of good in him was really people just seeing the goodness of the Spirit at work in his life.
(But then this really needs to tie into the “death to self” requisite at the moment of Salvation. The broken and spiritually lost soul ransomed to Death is buried so something “fixed” and of the Spirit [of Life], can rise.
I see a big difference between those who try to use Christ’s name for their own glory; and those who utterance of that Name intend for all glory to land where it rightfully belongs.
If what we share (hopefully “the Truth”) isn’t held as “of us” [of ego, of our flesh], then it not being received [or believed] cannot engage an ego we’ve left “crucified at the cross”.
If we have effectively borne witness to “the Truth”, there is no personal deficit. But if all we’ve borne witness to is ourselves [flesh] and it’s not believed, ego [flesh] registers a deficit. Flesh opposes Spirit.
Actually, I wonder if even miracles can “force” anything that will last? Or be used to try to “force”? They are simply signs. And the sign doesn’t “force” you to go down a specific road. It simply points to where you can find the destination you seek.
Okay.
Thank you for the feedback.
So…
The reason why I have angels who defend me and fight for my cause?
So, I am very close to my angels. And.
I’ve always maintained that the angels, are God’s.
If they minister into my life, it is as coming from God. And if I in some way minister Truth into another’s life, my desire is for them to see it as coming from God.
You are a fine and noble Christian… and…
My specific job is to bring about the end of the world.
So, what there should be my notice.
Yet isn’t that how as a society things work? Take anything in modern society: chlorinated water, electric wires, gas hookups for houses. The way things work is people sit down and figure out a way of standardizing the system so that it works. Why wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) such a system work for society itself? It’s just a matter of seeing which wheels within wheels cause things to turn, and tweak accordingly. yes?
@jear77
My impression was that @darksun was speaking more of the mob mentality of of special-interest groups that rely on noise and emotion and bandwagons, and less about sitting down calmly and discussing issues to solutions of the most benefit.
I must’ve misunderstood…
This makes me think of the fundamental nature of humans to be sheep (majority) or shepherds (minority).
Humans are animals first, self aware second. Most of our behaviours are dictated by physiological and chemical response. Once a shepherd gets a handle on that; it becomes clearly evident that they can realize personal benefits by managing the herd.
The society you speak of is managed through a food chain and nature insists that the patterns exercised by the less aware are exercised by the more aware in ways that respond to the self oriented drivers that lead to “more”
I can’t say I am a shepherd because i lack the driver to really want more. I have more than enough, and when you think about it, enough is really a low threshold that we have been convinced isn’t.
Too much, in my opinion, must be a huge burden, especially when your psychosis demands that nothing ever will be enough. It must be scary to come face to face with that.
if we turn that issue directly towards the “rewards” of social praise, the society we live in has created devices that quantify with bank account balances, Facebook friends and Twitter followers. If numbers are our only gauge to register “success”, we have lost something on the way.
There’s a song that goes “I just wanna be a sheep ‘baa, baa, baa, baa'” which talks about being led by Jesus. But still at day’s end, it’s still a sheep’s mentality. Not good!
I can relate with those sentiments, some of the time.
I do find something interesting with the continued rise of “star” obsessed culture, especially as the field of view expands out, and the systems work themselves out to higher quality. (I worked on a system to help ensure the security of free internet back in early 2000s, and on some systems that focused on concepts like peer to peer internet, sharing by relevancy via personal information, etc.)
In a number of ways, I have had some significant disappointments, but there is, I believe something very interesting there.
The capacity for raw, unfiltered news… is growing.
The possibilities of global communication continue to open the gateways of ‘what civilization can achieve’, though my eye is on the ‘age to come’… and generally consider these things we see today are the burgeoning beginning of a change that is far more massive then mere technological.
In terms of having and not having… the mind alone is very amazing, that is the mind and the heart. We can have anything inside. Anytime, anywhere.
But, the lie of the material world is that we have to buy what we need and sell to get anything.
Shockingly, Jesus did not write that song.
Jesus did use sheep as a metaphor, but not in that context. Quite the reverse, Jesus had many statements and actions condemning accepting things without thinking and testing. And certainly did the opposite of advocating what was your church, where people are told to just listen to the church leaders and traditional beliefs, and third sources, and to believe what some dime store song writer wrote.
Most Christians, btw, in America, are regular people from all stripes of life.
I think, what I keep hearing from you about the cult you belonged to, it sounds like one of those typical, whacko, fundamentalist cults where their main problem in life is other people’s sex lives, and American politics. And countless other such useless crap.
Pretty much exactly as the religious scene was in 30 AD in Israel.
I think you need to come to terms with the fact that you never experienced a regular, healthy Christian life or experience.
I say the same stuff to folks coming out of Jehovah Witnesses, and other cult groups. Usually, they do not go and assume that all those Christians whom they always hated, spoke against, and did terrible things in our name… is not actually the JWs. They typically get this because while they were “Christian”, they never ceased speaking badly about all other Christians — to the point, usually, of “all Christians but us are damned”.
So, usually they get they were never the good guys… and all those the JWs damned? They were actually the good guys. Some of them, anyway.
Main thing to impress me on your knowledge of Jesus is to show knowledge of the gospels.
Not something fundamentalist churches teach. (Clearly.)
For example, taking one of the most anti-traditionalist, anti-religious authority people in history – Jesus – and making him out to somehow being Very Traditionalist, Very Religious Authority says that you do not know Jesus and never did.
Then why did Jesus say “if you are my friends, you will do as I command?” Then elsewhere he says “be perfect.” I am not going to try!
Unfortunately, one can make one’s bets in the wrong way.
That makes no sense. Clarify.