WHEN THE MOB SHOUTS

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

Mark Twain

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WHEN THE MOB SHOUTS TO BURN DOWN THE CITY…

BE A LEADER AND THE VOICE OF REASON

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The minds of the people are easily swayed by the pressures of hardship. Their decisions become clouded by fears that cause them to take actions out of desperation — actions they know are wrong but become easier to commit when their resolve has been chipped away. Mob mentality is a vacuum that pulls people with good intentions toward a destructive center.

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There are many who stand on the fringes as the anger of a group begins to boil, but soon they are confronted with a moral dilemma when this collective anger turns into harmful actions. A mob cannot retain power if there is dissent or questioning: those who hesitate against its violence are branded as allies of their enemy, or radicalized into complacency until they are one with the group. But anger cannot feed a group forever, and those who build upon its unreliable foundation will quickly collapse. And when the mob is broken – when the fury begins to cool, and rational thought regains control – its individuals are left alone and scattered again. A person cannot defend themselves against repercussions for the horrors they committed simply because they were under the influence of a misguided horde.

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In the end, every person is responsible for their own decisions. When the voices of hundreds shout that the city must burn – that the kingdom must fall; that the accused must be convicted without trial – it becomes harder to hear the thousands who quietly disagree. A leader cannot fall prey to the whims of the voices that shout the loudest, but must stand as a voice of reason in defense of the silent majority.

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