Boom Bang

In Sierra Leone, a fuel tanker and a truck collided. Both drivers got out unharmed. But the crowd converged to “conserve” fuel (that leaks out). Result? lots of burned deaths.

In Houston, a crowd surge at Astroworld, resulted in 8 dead and many injured.

Two societies, two mentalities. Same results. One saves resources, the other surges for celebrities, to be near the “Holy of Holies” (Stardom).

In Copenhagen Climate Conference, young people turned out in drove, demanding immediate curtail of coal.

Take me home, Country Road.

We live in a new world. Machine-assisted living. Lots of tube, of chemical and industrial products (vaccines). We transform and bend nature to our likeness, for our longevity and to suit our view of what society should look like. What do we end up? Crowding ICU’s. How do we get here? By mistrust and division. Who gives us guidance and guardrails? Pastors who quit, prof’s who can’t testify.

A society that drifts, that can only agree on those objective measures (Key performance Index) like roads and bridges, broadband and EV charging stations.

It’s always been hard. And harder of late. The stoking of hate and fear, the negative emotions (that certainly unite the crowd against the Other, whoever they may be. Damn them. It’s them. They who did this…).

Uniformity is mistaken for Unity. Pass the hats around. It’s free. Wear it as a new badge of honour. Hell, “I am white, blonde….no chance in Hell I will be in Hell hole (jail)”.

Wow! Karen and the gang. Sisterhood and sorority. Live above the crowd and fly above the cloud.

Judge jailed her too. After bargaining, down to one misdemeanour…trespassing Government property (ain’t your private jet, which by the way, is in long-term airport parking). The D.C. Jail is now home to many J6 criminals. No leader came for them. Supposed to. Where is Q?

Every one is a martyr. Death for a cause. Rightly or wrongly. But the law of the land is where the bucks stop.

It’s in the above mentioned instances, where it’s not quite clear cut: can I move up a step to get near the stage? Can I scoop up a gallon of free gas. That’s when crowd madness trumps individual judgment. It’s what killed you.

When I was about three, I joined a crowd, chanting crowd, marching through our neighbourhood. With torches, and sticks. Going no where. Just around, full of passion and purpose….I got lost. Until my sister spotted me, yanked me out of it, to go home. Where I belong. Impersonal crowd might provide “togetherness”, a feeling we need and miss (sense of belonging), and the numbers are always strength etc… But it more than often drives you in a wrong direction, echoing the illusion and madness. Crowd is certainly neutral, but it takes on a life of its own with propensity for destruction.

Yesterday, we read about all the wrong reasons for not being in a crowd, from Sierra Leone to Astroworld. Then there are crowds that tried to draw our attention to humanity’s impending doom (Greta and friends). Finally, there is a huge crowd, virtual crowd, on Social Media, targeting us for Key Performance Index. They make money of us. Sheep to the slaughter house. We have been had. Out of our own volition and will, without a fight.