The Clutch of Cultism

It's our Merdeka Day today, the day we celebrate our independence from the clutches of colonialism. I'm not working today and have decided to spend the day running errands. I went for my haircut and replenished my toiletries here at my apartment in Cyberjaya.

As always, I'm now trying to decide what to write as I'm writing. Free-writing loosens the mind and ideas will pop up spontaneously. Of course I could write about Merdeka Day itself and what it means to me. 

When I think of independence day it reminds me of all the history and civics classes I had as a primary school student. All the daily morning assemblies singing the Negaraku and reciting the Rukunegara. I don't write about politics in general, but I'm interested in the psychology of patriotism.

We always think of being patriotic as a kind of good. I was a patriotic kid myself. Nowadays, I am wary of any kind of group identity. This is not to say that we can't feel a sense of belonging towards a certain group or community, it is just to say that we need to be mindful of pitfalls of group-think.

The human mind has a powerful tendency to latch on to what I call 'group resonance'. We have a yearning to belong to something bigger or to pursue a higher cause. When a group forms from people with similar beliefs, it can become powerful. A common vision and a shared destiny binds a group together. This is reinforced by symbols, doctrines and mottos. 

Companies do that too, under the guise of 'teamwork'. If you've been to a sales training before, you'll see group indoctrination in motion. When indoctrination is effective, members will automatically spout the party line. One's thinking is suspended. And we do so willingly because it feels good to belong to a larger whole. There's a certain peace-of-mind that comes from surrendering to a charismatic leader who seems to know it all.

And that is how cults begin. The allure of absolute certainty is what drives members to be fanatical about their beliefs. There's a comforting sense of superiority in believing that you are right and others are wrong. The out-group are people who still do not get it. The sense of group belonging is greatly reinforced by a hatred of outsiders, traitors or unbelievers.

Facism, Communism and lately Wokeism often veer into the territory of ideological cults. This is not to say that the causes that their adherents are fighting  for are wrong. Often these ideologies have noble goals - 'national rejuvenation', a 'classess society' or 'social justice'. There's a noble utopian vision which stirs the hearts and minds of its members. But beware: unbridled enthusiasm has a tendency to veer into blind zealotry.

Patriotism is good, insofar at it helps to foster the cohesiveness of the group. Any social group requires some kind individual sacrifice for the common good. A community cannot function if there's no shared goals and beliefs. But we must always be vigilant of falling into the cult trap. Real independence means escaping from the ever-present clutch of cultism.