Following
the flock
We hear much today
about the force of example, whether for good or for evil. This aspect
of society is of prime importance, when so much is said about role models
and their significance in the tendency towards violence and other social
evils revealed by impressionable youngsters. Unfortunately, most of the
role models offering to guide the young come from the entertainment or
sporting sections of our society, which are not noted for their elevated
morals or praiseworthy behaviour.
In all strata of society imitation and emulation of others are important
stabilising factors. As the psychologist William McDougal writes in his
'Introduction to social psychology' (24th edition, 1942): "Imitation
is, then, not only the great conservative force of society, it is also
essential to all social progress." He asserts that one general law
of imitation is that modes of doing persist more obstinately than modes
of thinking and feeling. This explains our strange reluctance to abandon
ancient rituals that have become meaningless and in practice useless.
We have only to glance at some of our hopelessly outdated political practices
to understand this. In general, regrettably, the force of custom is more
resistant to change in people of a lower level of cultural achievement
than in those who are more developed, and this complicates our world.
Other philosophers have made the same point. David Hume, in his 'Enquiry
concerning human understanding' (1748), wrote: "Custom, then, is
the great guide of human life." Imitation, while maintaining traditions,
plays an essential role in the progress of civilisation by two routes
— influence of exceptionally gifted individuals, and spread from
one cultural heritage to another. Imitation must develop into fashion
before it can enter tradition and become custom. Tea drinking, tobacco
smoking and lawn tennis have been cited as examples. To these we may add
indulgence in other drugs.
If we are to make any impression on the modern craze for seeking abnormal
states of mind by taking drugs, legal or illegal, we must all act as healthy
role models to the coming generation. Bad habits of adults are often shared
by children, although their betters may sometimes be blissfully unaware
of the example they are setting. Imitation is the copying by an individual
of the bodily movements and habits of others, and happens whether or not
the model is aware of setting an example. According to social psychologists
this is an instinct common to all gregarious animals and is really a form
of sympathy. For the psychologist, the three fundamental types of mental
interaction are suggestion, sympathy and imitation. Contra-imitation also
plays its part in shaping societies, and its manifestations range from
cranky and faddist practices to deliberate antagonism towards the natural
habits of other individuals.
When it comes to discouraging incipient drug abuse, one important principle
we ought to remember is that there is a natural tendency of the mind to
reinforce habits by repetition. Any hesitation to proceed to act in a
certain direction is weakened by repetition, and the safeguard against
an action which the performer suspects is ill-judged is discarded. Both
the process of thought and that of action are affected. Any readjustment
is accompanied by pain or distress, mild to severe. The sight of an addictive
substance, and the manual motions involved in taking a dose of it are
stimuli perpetuating abuse, and must be avoided as part of a cure.
As Carl Gustav Jung wrote in 1962: "Every form of addiction is bad,
no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism."
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Consequences
Many years ago I
used to anticipate with trepidation the occasional visits to our family
of a formidable aunt. She was a history teacher in a smart grammar school
and was not one to be gainsaid lightly. Every time she passed a few days
with my parents, my sisters and myself, we knew it was inevitable that
she would demand to spend the evenings playing what was then a popular
parlour game entitled "Consequences", a rather intellectually
demanding pursuit. Whether it continues still to render quiet evenings
strenuous I do not know, but I doubt it. Its only redeeming feature for
us was that it enabled us to mock at family idiosyncrasies by introducing
outrageous and libellous characters.
The game, in case you have never encountered it, consisted of taking turns
to introduce characters, allow them strange conversations and reactions,
and finally to devise an outcome of their interactions. For example, someone
might mention William Tell and someone else a second person, such as our
Uncle George, who met at the Dog and Duck or the Chilean embassy and engaged
in a fierce wordy duel ending in bizarre consequences.
The idea struck me, after I had recollected those days of long ago, that
a similar game might be played with political figures and their spin-doctors'
policies. For example, Tony Blair might encounter William Hague in the
Chinese takeaway, where they might throw sarcastic comments at one another.
And the consequence would be beyond all doubt. The fat cats would grow
even fatter, and the poor starving kittens even thinner and weaker. A
stirring adventure, you might remark — or am I allowing myself to
grow cynical?
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Unholy
water
During my college
days I well remember one of my lecturers giving us a chilling account
of an investigation he had carried out into the microbiological content
of holy water stoups in French churches. He warned those of us who were
due to visit France as part of our course never to dip our fingers into
the stoups to be found in the porches of churches. The habit, even for
one who is not a regular petitioner of minor rituals, is easily acquired,
especially when someone in front performs it. Remember, our lecturer warned
us, that many before you may have dipped into the water, and that not
everyone has hygienic habits.
I note from a news comment in the British Medical Journal for January
27 that competitors in the Irish Young Scientist contest recently examined
holy water fonts and discovered some that were truly filthy. When a 14-year-old
girl of County Kildare developed a rash on her forehead after blessing
herself with holy water an examination of the possible source revealed
green worms in one font and large quantities of unspecified dirt in others.
The original investigation aimed at a comparison of the biological content
of outdoor fonts with that of indoor ones. Both proved to be contaminated
in various ways. Eggs of the green worms posed the greatest threat to
health, and the students concluded that someone should be made responsible
for cleaning the fonts and removing any objects visible to the naked eye.
In 1998 three students in County Clare cultured coliforms, staphylococci,
yeasts and moulds from the holy water of stoups. And it was reported that
in Dublin some churches had to remove the stoups from their vestibules
since it was discovered that drug addicts were using the water to rinse
their hypodermic syringes.
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