We are most likely to get angry and excited in our opposition to some idea when we ourselves are not quite certain of our own position, and are inwardly tempted to take the other side.
-- Thomas Mann --
BuddenbrooksAnd it puzzle me to learn
That tho' a man may be in doubt of what he knows,
Very quickly he will fight. . .
He'll fight to prove that what he does not know is so!
"A Puzzlement"
Lyrics from the musical, The King and I
Obviously wrong, right? For everybody knows that those who fight the hardest and shout the loudest have no doubts whatsoever . . . for they never give any sign that they might be wrong. And those who admit that they have some questions or even doubts are the weakest in their faith. It's obvious, isn't it?
Tim,
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely some irony there.
I think those who shout the loudest are trying to drown out others and their own doubts. Many people can not handle uncertainty and are unhappy when they can't decide, so they try to cover up their doubts.
This becomes difficult when others bring up those doubts or alternative explanations. This is especially true of some believers in those religions that claim to be the only true religion and all others are false. Converting others becomes a necessity.
I think that it can be true, those who are unsure of themselves are sometimes the loudest and most overbearing.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I believe that if someone understands a that a situation that is unjust , and that understanding is based upon logic, ethics and empathy, then that person might also fight very hard to fix the injustice. I think both history and everyday life is full of such examples.
Brian,
DeleteAttempting to correct a situation is one thing, but trying to convince someone to change beliefs or ideas is a different situation, which is what both quotations refer to.
ha! a trenchant proposition! and one i'm thoroughly in agreement with... people do act that way, in a kind of cascading fashion, demonstrating through argument, building up frustration and ending in physical violence; tribal activity, one might think; protecting one's own turf as it were, from the Hunnish invasion...
ReplyDeleteMudpuddle,
DeleteYes, there is a definite pattern to the escalation from discussion through frustration to violence, either verbal or physical or eventually both. And, I think that one's own doubts feed into that.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteNo doubt testosterone does play a role, but females also have it, albeit in much lower quantities or so I've been told. And as you point out, "damsels and matrons" do take part here.
Made me think of our current untenable political quandary. The King and I lyric reminded me of the orange person in the WH.
ReplyDeleteYvette,
DeleteYes, there does seem to be some similarity there.