20 Things I’ve Learned About Humanity During The Pandemic
We live in strange and interesting times. Men can be women. Women can be men. Some people can be both, either, or neither. After all, gender is merely a social construct designed to oppress women, who might also be men – allegedly.
White supremacy has (also allegedly) become a racially diverse and multi-ethnic endeavour that permeates the consciousness of every individual. According to ‘progressive’ activists, it is no longer enough to not be racist. One must be actively ‘anti-racist’ – which means judging people and treating them differently, purely based on their skin color… very woke of them.
Logical inversions and perversions like these make it clear that we are living in an age of collective madness – where reality itself is under attack. In a time when we are told to acknowledge and accept ‘his truth’, ‘her truth’, and ‘their truth’, it is increasingly common to lose sight of THE truth.
For the past year and half, the entire world has been gripped by fear of a single virus. Millions have been plunged into poverty, thousands of businesses shut down permanently, families and friendships torn apart, and mental and physical health deteriorated. Depressingly, millions of children and young people have had their education, social development, and mental and physical health disrupted. All of this has allegedly been in response to a virus that we know poses little to no risk to them statistically.
A significant percentage of people now live with a fear of seeing human faces and are anxious about breathing fresh air unimpeded. Governments in several so called ‘liberal countries’ have rapidly transformed from democratic, representative administrations into totalitarian regimes – who engage in all sorts of propaganda, human rights violations, and outright discrimination. Whilst millions of people cheer it on.
All of this has come under the guise of ‘public safety’ and an ambiguous notion of ‘the greater good’; a popular appeal used by every tyrant throughout history to justify the trampling of people’s rights and expansion of the power of the state.
On July 5th, 2021, I wrote a thread on Twitter entitled “20 Things I’ve Learned or Had Confirmed About Humanity During the Pandemic”. It has now been read by millions of people around the world and in this article, I will go into these lessons in more detail.
My goal is to help you understand the people and circumstances around you better and to encourage you to think more clearly. Critical thinking is a dying art, but it’s a powerful tool.
1) Most people would rather be in the majority than be right.
Human beings are social creatures, and we enjoy being part of a tribe. Families, friend groups, religious communities, political parties, and sports teams are all examples of such tribes. People can even become tribal over what type of phone or computer they use, or what type of diet they consume. It’s in our nature.
In the West, in particular, we like to believe that everybody is truly individual. But when put under pressure or exposed to a threat, we see how quickly people revert to herd mentality, groupthink, or simply the ‘go along to get along’ mentality. It’s difficult to go against the majority.
There are many situations where going along with the majority is the correct thing to do. After all, it would be foolhardy to be a contrarian at all times, simply for the sake of opposition. You wouldn’t survive for very long. However, tribalism and the innate desire to conform at all costs can lead to herd stupidity, mass psychosis, or even discrimination, violence, and genocide when taken to an extreme. History is replete with such examples.
Something that has struck me over the past few years is how unwilling most people are to openly go against the majority ‘approved’ opinion on any given subject, even when the majority opinion is objectively wrong, or immoral.
LESSON 1: Do not assume the majority or popular position is always right, simply by nature of it being the majority opinion.
2) At least 20% of the population has strong authoritarian tendencies, which will emerge under the right conditions.
The darkest realization I’ve had over the past year and a half is that I now completely understand how the most horrific events of the 20th century came to pass. I no longer ask myself, “How did they let that happen?”.
To be clear, I am not directly equating lockdowns, mandates, and other restrictions and infringements upon liberty, with the genocidal regimes of the National Socialists or various Communist dictators – however, we have now all seen glimpses of the same psychology and tactics at play.
It has struck me how many dormant authoritarians we have amongst us, within our governments, workplaces, on the street, and our television screens. Even within families and friend groups. The pandemic situation has emboldened those with an authoritarian mindset, who enjoy telling others what to do and often advocating state enforcement of such behaviour.
When given an ounce of power or control over another human being, many will take advantage of it and relish in it – sometimes to the point of demonization, discrimination, and open calls for physical harm to those who dare defy them. This is something we must always remain vigilant of, to establish and maintain a free society and individual liberty.
LESSON 2: Society is always one ‘emergency’ away from tyranny. Resist the urge to force others to conform to your own beliefs and behaviours and be bold in the presence of those who do.
3) Fear of death is only rivalled by the fear of social disapproval. The latter could be stronger.
As mentioned in Point 1, the majority of people want to be in the majority. As social beings, we are hardwired and conditioned to seek and desire social approval.
That’s why glossophobia (the fear of public speaking) is one of the most common fears amongst adults, affecting up to 75% of the population. It is not the speaking itself that most people are terrified of – but the fear of potential judgment, ridicule, or criticism from other people.
As a keen observer of human behaviour who has visited 6 countries and dozens of cities over the past 18 months, it is abundantly clear at this point that many people largely wear masks not out of fear of any virus (if they did, most would need a better mask and actually have to wear it properly and consistently) but because of the fear of social disapproval and stigma.
Regardless of your beliefs around the efficacy of masks, it is clear they have become a symbol of tribal allegiance and comfort blanket to many — and simply a tool of conflict avoidance to others. For a clear example of this, look no further than the bizarre ritual people now perform as they put a mask on for a few seconds to enter restaurants, just to take it off seconds later when they sit down. This performative act is now a global phenomenon. There is no hard science or logic involved here, just social compliance and theatre.
LESSON 3: It is natural to want to fit in. But don’t allow this to crush your individuality, or to cause you to do things that go against your principles.
4) Propaganda is just as effective in the modern-day as it was 100 years ago. Access to limitless information has not made the average person any wiser.
I used to believe that people were ignorant due to a simple lack of access to information. I was wrong.
With the rise of the internet, smartphones, and social media, we are connected more than ever. We now have access to limitless information. More than our ancestors could even imagine in their wildest dreams.
Given that, it would be fair to assume that by 2021, people would be particularly enlightened, knowledgeable, and less prone to any type of obvious manipulation or deception.
Unfortunately, it’s possible that people today are even more susceptible to deliberate programming, given the fact we are bombarded with thousands upon thousands of messages every day — not just from screens on our walls, but screens in our pockets and on our desks.
Propaganda and brainwashing are not relics of history, but very real and affective phenomena.
LESSON 4: Nobody is totally immune to the effects of propaganda. But you can strengthen yourself against negative manipulation that stokes fear and division, simply by being aware of its existence.
5) Anything and everything can and will be politicized by the media, government, and those who trust them.
“Everything is political.”
This is a phrase people often say. But should this really be the case?
How is it that something as simple as wearing a mask in public, or choosing not to, has become a signal of political orientation to so many? And in such a short space of time?
The overt politicization of everything is bad for our society, bad for the country, and bad for the world in general. Politics plays a role in all of our lives, but it’s important to not allow it to override joy, human connection, friendships, family, and your wellbeing. Shunning one’s friends or family members over basic differences in politics is a trend that needs to end.
LESSON 5: Beware of falling into an ‘everything is political’ mentality. It’s good to be engaged and to have principles but resist the over politicization of everything. It creates unnecessary division and is a thief of joy.
6) Some politicians and large corporations will gladly sacrifice human lives if it is conducive to their political and financial aspirations.
I was deeply skeptical about many aspects of various governments’ pandemic responses from early on. Too skeptical according to many people… but as time has gone on and more information has come to light, I — and others like me — have been continually vindicated regarding our concerns and warnings.
All through the past 18 months – basic science and logic have been routinely ignored, healthcare workers threatened, experts censored for challenging the narrative, potentially lifesaving treatments withheld and maligned, and the suffering of millions of people has been ignored – both inside and outside of hospitals.
Those who dare highlight these issues, or simply ask fair questions, have routinely been branded as ‘selfish’, ‘anti-science’, ‘anti-vaxx’, ‘stupid’, ‘grandma killers’, and worse. Some have even been banned from social media. This is insanity. Insanity with potentially deadly consequences.
Every student of history should know that governments and corporations are not run by angels. By definition, these entities exist to exert power and control, and to make a profit, respectively.
This can be done ethically, but power, money, and self-interest are reliable intoxicants and corrupting forces. When profit and political ambition are put above the wellbeing of individuals, human suffering and loss of life are guaranteed.
LESSON 6: Always check your own power and the powers who govern you. Unchecked power is a dangerous thing.
7) Most people believe the government acts in the best interests of the people. Even many who are vocal critics of the government.
Everybody says they don’t trust the government. It sounds cool, trendy, and rebellious. But in reality, most people do – despite the daily lies, flagrant acts of hypocrisy and disregard for their own rules, and decades of failure to address basic issues.
It is strange that any intelligent, free-thinking person could have lived through the past 18 months and concluded that the government deeply cares about them and should have even more control over their lives… Yet here we are.
I remain of the belief that the best thing the government can do for most people is to leave them alone. Everybody should be a little bit more opposed to government intervention after seeing politicians and policymakers around the world blunder through this situation – turning ’15 days to slow the spread’ and ‘flatten the curve’ into a nightmare of perpetual lockdowns, mandates, and human rights violations for 500+ days.
Whether it was incompetence, malice, or most likely, a combination of both – is largely irrelevant at this point. There is a major problem.
LESSON 7: The government is not your daddy, mommy, or friend. Like most entities, it acts in its own self-interest. Sometimes this aligns with what is best for you, but usually, it’s not.
8) Once they have made up their mind, most people would rather commit to being wrong, than admit they were wrong.
Humility is hard. But lack of humility and honesty makes bad situations even worse.
So much of what’s been going on comes from a commitment to being wrong. Everybody is trying to save face – from those in power to average citizens. During this strange time, how many people have you heard say, “I was wrong” or “We made a mistake”?
I’ve noticed that now, people instead say, “The science changed”. As if the facts themselves changed, rather than the facts previously being unknown, misinterpreted, or simply being opinions or assumptions, rather than facts. All of this stems from a lack of humility and an unwillingness, individually and collectively, to admit error.
Cognitive dissonance, sunk cost fallacy, and ego protection are common thinking errors that lead to poor decision making. None of us is immune to these flaws, but it’s better to experience some short term embarrassment or ego damage, than it is to barrel off a cliff because you are so committed to maintaining congruence that you refuse to change direction.
LESSON 8: You don’t need to commit to being wrong. It’s foolish to wrap your identity and ego around your wrongness. Change your mind when presented with a better argument or new information.
9) Humans can be trained and conditioned quickly and relatively easily to significantly alter their behaviours – for better or worse.
In January 2020, wearing a face-covering in public was frowned upon and even banned in many places.
Being suspicious that you and everybody around you was potentially carrying a deadly infectious disease, was generally considered a mental disorder.
Avoiding seeing friends and family or even going outside ‘because you could get sick’ was considered antisocial and neurotic at best, and sociopathic at worst.
Now imagine doing all of this because of a disease with a survival rate for most people in the >99% range, that you are already inoculated against.
This situation no longer needs to be imagined, because this is now the reality for millions upon millions of people. The rapid change in human behaviour has shocked me and I believe that many will never recover from the psychological damage. Not from the virus itself, but because of the disproportionate and overblown response to it.
People have accepted inversions such as ‘sick until proven healthy’ as realities. We have created a pandemic of hypochondria, Munchausen by proxy, fear, and cowardice.
Perhaps even worse, many people now brag about how fearful and anxious they are. They believe it is virtuous to treat their neighbours as existential threats, rather than friends, to isolate themselves, segregate society based on medical history, and celebrate infringements upon their freedom.
To be clear, none of this is normal or reasonable.
Is it possible that someone could make you sick? Yes. But that’s always been the case. Viruses are not new. But the response is.
LESSON 9: Use your ability for rapid conditioning and habit forming to enact positive changes, rather than negative ones. Take steps to improve your health, wealth, and happiness. And remember to love your neighbour as yourself.
10) When sufficiently frightened, most people will not only accept authoritarianism but demand it.
People used to fight for freedom. Now, they mock it, fight to give it away, and fight to make sure that you don’t have any either.
One of the greatest inversions that has occurred in Western nations over the past 18 months, is the rebranding of freedom as ‘selfishness’. Those who fight to uphold individual liberty and human rights are labelled ‘dangerous’ and a ‘threat to the greater good’. We’ve been here before as a species…
“You’re not a doctor!” they scream through their muzzled mouths. As if concepts like liberty, freedom, and individual rights, are based purely on the whims and statements of a handful of government-appointed ‘experts’ and scientists in white lab coats.
All of this fear often results in a desire for more authoritarianism. Frightened people demand to be subjugated and controlled by the state, because they have lost confidence in their strength and faculties, and lost faith in the abilities of others to make decisions that we previously assumed every adult was capable of.
LESSON 10: Fearful people are easily manipulated and taken advantage of. If you want to think clearly, then you have to resist fear, particularly when it’s being intentionally pushed upon you.
11O People who are dismissed as ‘conspiracy theorists’ are often well researched and simply ahead of the mainstream narrative.
It’s been quite the year and a half for the ‘conspiracy theorists’!
From the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis to ongoing lockdowns and restrictions, to the construction of quarantine ‘camps’, to the push for ‘vaccine passports’ and discrimination against and demonization of ‘the unvaccinated’.
All of these notions and warnings were flippantly and consistently dismissed by the masses, even when there was official documentation to suggest or prove their veracity.
People were so quick to dismiss critical thinkers as ‘crazy conspiracy theorists’ that they ended up walking right into the reality of these predictions.
To this day, many still deny that any of this is going on, or that it should be of any concern. The level of cognitive dissonance is truly something to behold. Previously free nations have descended into authoritarian police states – waving the banner of ‘public health and safety’ as they assault, harass, and invade the privacy of peaceful civilians. It’s truly dystopian.
The term ‘conspiracy theorist’ is often weaponised against individuals who go against the ‘official’ narrative (and there always is one). But many so-called ‘conspiracy theorists’ have often been far more reliable and accurate in their predictions than mainstream media pundits and ‘experts’.
Perhaps we should stop calling them ‘conspiracy theories’ and start calling them ‘spoiler alerts’?
LESSON 11: Be open-minded, pay attention to different sources, and listen to different viewpoints. Yesterday’s ‘conspiracy theories’ are often tomorrow’s news.
12) Most people value safety and security more than freedom and liberty, even if said ‘safety’ is merely an illusion.
In the West, most people pretend that ‘freedom and liberty’ are the most important values. But that veil has now fallen.
It has become abundantly clear that most people value the feeling of safety and security, more than they value their actual freedom. As previously mentioned, they will gladly trade their own liberty (and yours) to make themselves feel protected.
From lockdowns, to mask mandates, to social distancing, there is still not conclusive, unassailable evidence that any of these policies make a significant impact on slowing, let alone stopping, the spread of an airborne, respiratory virus. Look at the data from state to state, and country to country, and you won’t see many obvious correlations between hospitalization/death rates, and the presence of, or lack of, these policies. We do however know that they lead to various forms of misery and loss of basic human autonomy.
Beyond the obvious infringements on civil rights, it amazes me that millions of people and governments around the world continue to insist on repeating these policies over and over again. Despite the fact they have not previously been proven to be effective.
I think we need to have an important conversation about values, rights, and responsibilities. Would you rather live in a free society that sometimes ‘feels dangerous’, or a tightly restricted one that ‘feels safe’? The answer may not be as clear cut as you previously thought.
LESSON 12: Freedom is rare and hard to come by because most people don’t value it as much as they say they do. Understand that once it is gone, it’s not coming back without a fight. So be careful what you give away.
13) Hedonic adaptation occurs in both directions. Once inertia sets in, it is difficult to get people back to ‘normal’.
We are now 18 months into ‘the pandemic’ and it is clear that many people don’t want it to end. They continue to move the goalposts and kick the can down the road.
Millions of people are now emotionally bonded to wearing masks everywhere (even when alone), self-isolation, physically distancing in public, and other strange anti-social behaviours.
Human beings are highly adaptable and can be trained, just like we train domestic animals. Once people embrace a ‘new normal’ for a sustained period (individually or collectively), it can be extremely difficult to get them back to the ‘old normal’.
LESSON 13: Don’t underestimate what people can get used to. What sounds crazy today could become a way of life. So let’s make sure we move forward, not backwards.
14) A significant percentage of people thoroughly enjoy being subjugated.
It sounds weird, but many people seem to get off on the misery of it all. And as the old saying goes, ‘misery loves company’.
We are all into different things but being dominated and tightly controlled by the government is not my preference – so I choose to opt out.
We now have a global pandemic of Stockholm Syndrome (ironically, one of the places that isn’t suffering this phenomenon is Stockholm itself). Understand that ‘the pandemic’ won’t end for many people, simply because they do not actually want it to. They’re enjoying it.
LESSON 14: People can become addicted to being dominated and controlled. Don’t assume everybody values freedom the same way that you do.
15) ‘The Science’ has evolved into a secular pseudo-religion for millions of people in the West. This religion has little to do with science itself.
“Follow the science”
“Trust the experts”
If you live anywhere in the Western world (and perhaps even outside of it), then you’ve probably heard these phrases parroted day after day ad nauseam.
But are people truly following the science? I’ve yet to hear someone explain how you can spread a virus that you don’t have…
Or how wearing a mask as you enter a restaurant, just to take it off when you sit down, is scientific. Does the virus travel at head height?
Or how about how Trump rallies spread the virus, but Black Lives Matter protests don’t? They actually help reduce it, as claimed by some in the media.
I could go on. But it appears that this particular virus is extraordinarily clever, or that what people call ‘The Science’ is highly partisan. It’s no surprise that Lord Fauci had the audacity to insinuate that he himself is ‘science’, and thus, attacks on him are consequently attacks upon science. Amazing stuff.
Science is a process, methodology, and ever-growing body of knowledge – not a single man or institution.
In absence of God, it is common for people to worship something else and the recent deification and worship of ‘The Science’ has become a new, secular religion for millions of people. The greatest casualty of this, ironically, is science itself.
LESSON 15: If it can’t be questioned or challenged, then it is not science, it’s dogma. Don’t unquestionably outsource your own capacity to think to so-called ‘experts’ and ‘scientists’.
16) Most people care more about looking like they are doing the right thing, than actually doing the right thing.
If you can understand the depth of this statement and its repercussions, then you will be able to understand the current socio-political climate.
As I explained earlier, humans are sociable creatures who put huge stock into what others think of us. It’s understandable to want to appear like a good person, especially to appeal to your given ‘tribe’. However, it’s important to consider and analyze whether you are simply virtue signalling and trying to gain social currency, or if you are truly being virtuous and doing what is correct.
LESSON 16: Before taking an action (especially one that impacts others), consider if you are doing what is right, or what merely appears to be right. Does it simply SOUND good, or does it DO good?
17) Politics, the media, science, and the healthcare industries are all corrupt, to varying degrees. Scientists and doctors can often be bought as easily as politicians.
To be upfront, I know many wonderful people in all of these fields who are kind, principled, honest, and who do their best to contribute to their professions, communities and the world as a whole. However, profit and power are corrupting forces that often create perverse incentives for individuals and organizations to do what is expedient, rather than what is correct and just.
Not so long ago, doctors used to promote cigarettes, sugary sodas, and other substances we know to be unhealthy. Unfortunately, there is often more money to make by selling the ‘solution’, rather than preventing the problem in the first place.
LESSON 17: Corruption exists in every field. Human beings are fallible and no sector is immune from perverse incentives. Always keep this in mind.
18) If you make people comfortable enough, they will not revolt. You can keep millions docile as you strip their rights, by giving them money, food, and entertainment.
The Roman poet Juvenal once said, “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt”.
This quote is still apt today, but perhaps we could replace ‘bread’ with fast food and free money, and ‘circuses’ with TV and social media.
One of the most bewildering things about this time was the lack of protest and indignance. But considering that millions of people were essentially paid ‘hush money’ to keep them quiet and comfortable, it’s not surprising. In fact, some countries have gone from having tens of millions of people unemployed, to having millions of open jobs available that employers are struggling to fill.
It’s hard to pay people to do something when they are essentially being paid to do nothing.
LESSON 18: Comfort is a cage, and most people will seek the past of least resistance. But to live a fulfilling life, you will often need to take the path of greater resistance.
19) Modern humans are overly complacent and lack vigilance when it comes to defending their freedoms from government overreach.
It’s clear that people in the West have become far too comfortable and complacent over the past few decades.
We’ve forgotten that authoritarianism and tyranny are the default state for humanity and that liberty is the anomaly. The fight for freedom is not simply a battle that was won indefinitely by those in the past. Every generation has to fight for freedom again in their own way.
LESSON 19: Don’t take your freedom for granted. Understand that history is still occurring and everything that’s happened in the past has the potential to happen again.
20) It’s easier to fool a person than to convince them that they have been fooled.
Due to sunk cost fallacy, pride, and cognitive dissonance, people hate to admit when they’ve been duped. Most would prefer to move the goalposts, hurl an insult, or double down on the deception.
It’s wise to change your mind when presented with new information, or a better argument.
LESSON 20: Nobody likes being wrong. But when you are proven so, it’s better to take the short term ego pain than to double down.
Conclusion
The world is in desperate need of clear thinkers, perhaps now more than ever.
None of us is immune to cognitive errors, but let’s strive to make fewer of them – individually and collectively. Our future might depend on it.
Zuby is a rapper, author, podcaster and coach. He is the author of the fitness book Strong Advice and host of the Real Talk with Zuby podcast.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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