32. The Masses

From The Political Ladder by Alan Hewins (Suggested Reading, Party Politics, Paper IV – Ideology, Blindness and Righteousness)

“You cannot be a politician if you do not understand the masses.

In many ways the masses can be compared to a human body. Just like a body is made up of uncountable number of cells, the masses constitute of – often great number of – people.

Just as every cell in our body is highly sophisticated and deviously complex, every single human being in the masses is a highly evolved living being with an extremely complicated thought process.

Just like the human body is made of various different types of cells, the masses constitute of a large variety of people.

And just like the human body is structurally and functionally completely different than its unit cells, the masses have nothing in common with individual human units.

The masses are as much collections of people as you are a bunch of cells.

Both are true, but only structurally.

Functionally the masses do not represent the nature of their individuals.

The masses do not understand ambition. Because they do not comprehend the unfolding of the future. They know the past and exist solely in the present.

The masses are not rational. They are instinctive.

The masses do not suffer from insecurity. They are too short-lived to be threatened by anything.

The masses are never neutral. They will be either for or against the government.

The masses are never selfish. They have no agenda of their own. Even if they fight, they fight for their own interpretation of a greater common good. They are the most selfless organization of the world. It is only when the masses fall apart under extreme social duress that the selfishness of individuals come to the fore.

And that is what brings progress.”