One of the things I've written about is my search for a local physical spiritual community. Past communities I've been involved with have had flaws, including bigotry (of greatest personal concern is transphobia, but also racism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia [to the extent I came close to calling police on one bigot] ), arrogance, and, frankly, stupidity.
One group that I had been attending for years, and over that time having coffee with no sugar, was led by someone who stupidly said "no more sugar" after learning I am diabetic. The statement was either stupid - i.e, unthinking, or the person concerned was not paying attention to what was happening in the group they were running.
Something Dion Fortune warned about - back in the early 20th Century - was the attraction of "the occult" to "the mentally unstable". It was a flawed warning, as:
- it lent itself too easily to assuming she meant people with mental illnesses;
- it failed to make clear that most people involved with the occult do NOT have more problems with "mental stability" (let alone mental illnesses) than the general population (although many people do not realise how high the numbers are on that);
- it failed to make clear that most people with mental "instability"/illness have too many other issues to get involved with the occult - i.e., the number of people she was expressing concern about was both a small proportion of those involved in "the occult" and also a small proportion of those with mental "instability"/illness;
- many of those with what others consider with mental "instability"/illness are actually capable of far more than others allow, given those others' pre-judgment (i.e., bigotry - and on that, I recently came across people in a group who thought profoundly deaf people all speak loudly!); and
- what she was really warning against was a particular set of character flaws, including ego, addiction to power, seeking a way to feel control over one's life, and lack of clear thinking.
It is the latter point - character flaws - which is important here.
Some character flaws - e.g., seeking a way to feel control over one's life - are understandably human, and perhaps merit being dealt with "gently". (I recall one person who was trying telepathy with me back in my 20s who started going into fantasy land stuff no matter how much I showed [e.g., writing a target on paper first and showing him after] he was wrong.I've avoided that sort of informal situation ever since.)
Others - ego / power trips, lack of clear thinking - are, no matter how human, need to dealt with more firmly to manage the damage they cause.
Recently, a group I've joined online has shown signs of being doubtful about the COVID pandemic and vaccine. That, as it advocates behaviours which would put the lives of people I care about at risk, is unacceptable to me.
I understand the lack of trust and the arrogance of experts (and I say that as an expert in my day job) and elites that has made people doubtful, and I am aware of the advocacy of psychological experts for more emotion- and human-based information campaigns, but I'm now having second thoughts about that group.
I was able to get them to accept that the vaccine is akin to the flu shot - something we'll all get annually, but I still have my doubts about my ongoing involvement with that group. That's a shame, as I enjoy their meditation work, and they've been quite welcoming otherwise, but I've noticed many such groups are inclined towards such - and the word fits - stupidity.
I suspect part of the problem is that people are misinterpreting messages - i.e., they're told reality is not what orthodoxy says it is, and in their confusion and attempt to understand, jump to only other alternative they know of - which is conspiracy fantasies.
That's concerning, as there is now evidence showing conspiracy fantasists have problems doing particular types of clear thinking.
That is a serious problem, and must not be overlooked (hence my doubts about this group), but who is at fault on that? In my opinion, our education system - but those faults are being driven by a few politicians with character flaws of the type I'm concerned about and by parents who have the problems which need to be addressed.
The solution? Better - accessible, not arrogant - communication from experts (and from those challenging worldviews - don't leave an intellectual vacuum for conspiracy fantasies to dive into) over the space of around three generations.
And holding people to account - speak up, or take action, such as leaving groups that are questionable and cannot be changed.
