What makes a dissident? Part 3: Independence
You have to be willing to stand apart from the crowd.
An essential characteristic of a successful dissident is the ability to remain independent of the crowd, and even of persons who are close to him or her when necessary.
Peer pressure and the fear of social ostracization and disapproval are enough to make most people conform to the current zeitgeist, whether that be covid-mania, wokeism, or whatever.
This is the crucial factor that allows mass formations to take place, I believe. Most people think that if they had lived in Nazi Germany, they would have been a dissenter. The fact is, that due to immense and ubiquitous social pressure and the costs of going against the madness that took hold at that time and place, they almost certainly would have gone along.
A dissident has to be willing to lose friendships, lose jobs, lose associations, lose the approval of their society and their social status. Once one begins to speak truth that goes against the grain of what is currently fashionable, this is most surely and inevitably what happens.
I recently came across a supposedly African proverb which I love because it sums this concept up perfectly in folk wisdom: “A speaker of truth has no friends.”
Several years ago someone said something similar to me. “You’re a truth-speaker, and that’s a difficult thing to be, because a lot of people don’t appreciate that.” How right she was.
The fact is, most people do not love truth. They love things like money, a comfortable and safe life, a high social status, the ability to go where they want and do what they want, the approval of those around them.
In a world that hates truth, being a person of truth inevitably threatens your ability to hold onto any of those things.
This is not a new phenomenon. Jesus, who not only spoke truth but claimed to be the Truth, said to his followers:
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you....Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you....If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." John 15:18, 20, 22
His truth exposed the barrenness and guilt of those who believed they were righteous, and they killed him for it.
Most of us won’t be killed, but dissidents can and have suffered a large range of consequences, from losing relationships with loved ones, to losing jobs, to time in prison, and more. If you’re going to take a stand against the current evil, you have to be prepared for this.
Some dissidents, I think, are somewhat better prepared for this than others due to being independent personalities. I’d count myself as one. I grew up in a very unusual household. Most of my other siblings attempted to conform as best they could to keep themselves out of trouble, but I never could; something inside me would not let me accept the status quo, and I fought and rebelled. It never did me much good in my family context, but I believe it was essential preparation to not feeling like I have to go along with the societal zeitgeist.
When I was a teenager, my greatest desire was to be “normal”. I longed with all my heart to be a “normal” girl who was allowed to do things “normal” girls did and who had “normal” friends. While that’s natural for a teenager, who is trying to find their place in the world, I’m now thankful I never was “normal”. It’s a hard path to walk, sometimes, but something inside me won’t let me be any other way.
But even those who are more naturally conforming can take small steps to begin to stand for what they know is right. Start by speaking bits of truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Recognize you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing just because they are.
It is difficult; all of us have a natural desire to please others and to get along. Sometimes the cost of that is too high, though, if it requires us to go along with wrong. Courage begets courage; the more you take steps to speak up, live authentically, and stop hiding the truth you know, the easier it becomes the next time. Don’t live in the shadows; be a person of truth. Whatever the cost, it is worth it to live a life with no (or fewer) regrets. We only get one life; we don’t want to get to the end of it wishing that we had spoken up or acted when we knew we should have.
Although you may lose friends along the way, you will usually find a new community of dissidents: people who may not think like or be like you in many ways, but who have the commonality of seeing through lies and resisting them. That’s a beautiful result of being willing to stand up and be counted.
I think being an only child played a big role later in life for me being an independent thinker. It didn't happen for me in high school, or even university, I just tried to fit in, get decent grades and make a comfortable salary.
For me, so called "waking up" started when I changed my diet and really began to dig into the science and realized most of what we had been told by our health officials was dubious at best. Ever since then I have done my best to seek out the real truth on as many important topics as possible, both within and outside my formal education and skill set.
But I tell you what Susanna, you aren't lying when you say people don't appreciate the truth and the quoted African proverb is spot on. I understand there is a fine line between speaking truths in everyday conversation and being a pompous know it all, but it is crazy how some people view what you call truth speakers.
A close person in my life said that me not getting the COVID-19 vaccine was the final straw in our relationship and he was tired of me always trying to "increase my intelligence" on so many topics. This was obviously after giving him all the facts as to why I didn't want to get vaccinated, which he asked me for BTW.
First of all, the word here would be "knowledge" not "intelligence", but second, can you even imagine just contemplating writing that statement. It blew my bloody mind. People are overtly choosing and respecting ignorance over knowledge and truth. I guess this has been happening for quite some time now, COVID just made it obvious.
Thanks for the article!!
I love your writing. You express much that I’m going through but can’t express.