Journeeman.

Read a new sample from my chapter 6, where I discuss the disillusionment of my confinement, and the distrust and brokenness of a system that failed to understand what really happened. Here in the cell, there is but the wrestling and struggle with the dark shadows of despair, but also the hope of a new way of seeing what might be.

Chapter 6: The Importance of Disillusionment.

“Alas, along with others in this life, he gets accustomed, amid the dull round of habit, almost to abandon himself as he plays about with mere words.” (Søren Kierkegaard. The Kierkegaard Collection (p. 333). Blackmore Dennett. Kindle Edition.)

The Shattering of Illusions:

Childhood is a time of boundless imagination, where stories and dreams hold sway, but as we mature, we must confront the realities of life and shed the illusions that once defined our world. The transition from childhood to adulthood often involves a painful process of disillusionment, as we shed the comforting narratives of innocence and confront the complexities of the real world. To take life for granted is to miss its true potential. This taking things for granted allow us to be exposed to living habitually and not living meaningfully.

Just as in childhood, so too in the ageing process, we can become worn and systematised to the point of doing a “lag” until swallowed up by our mortality. To me, this is true of the Western world, which in the past century seems to have lost its energy and excitement. A pervasive sense of nihilism (the belief that life is meaningless) and scepticism (a questioning of all values and beliefs) has drained our culture’s vitality, leaving it feeling weak and depleted, much like an elderly person. This has left us with a society that often prioritises material possessions and superficial connections over genuine self-reflection and meaningful relationships. While it’s easy to say we want to grow, mature, and become our authentic selves, the commitment and determination required to actually achieve this are often lacking.

The Awakening:

There is one question I wonder if anyone really should ask of God or the universe, a question that has become increasingly important to me: “Help me to see the world as it truly is!” This quest for genuine understanding often requires us to confront uncomfortable truths and shed illusions, a process that can be both challenging and liberating—leading to greater self-awareness, more authentic relationships, and a deeper appreciation for the complexities of life.

We often deceive ourselves into believing we understand the world and the people in it, but our perceptions are often clouded by our own biases and assumptions. Our minds are adept at constructing narratives that make sense of the chaos of reality, but these narratives often obscure the truth and prevent us from seeing things as they truly are. We impose order on the chaos through social constructs and our own imaginative filters, much like an artist creating a different reality of the subject being painted, creating a sense of control and understanding where none may exist.

The tendency we have to create illusions about reality is a significant obstacle to genuine understanding and personal growth, and it’s often a source of conflict and misunderstanding in our relationships with others. We can see each other through a fog of opinion and projections, pretending that we understand the other in some cohesive manner. We treat the actions and views of others through our own filters, and then claim that we know exactly what they mean before even completing the required conversation to give a context of comprehension to work up from. Or even worse, we believe we know exactly what they are like, without realising we have projected our own issues onto the other. For example, if we have a history of being betrayed, we might be more likely to interpret the actions of others as manipulative or untrustworthy, even if their intentions are genuine.

The tendency to create illusions can become even more pronounced as we age, leading to complacency and a resistance to change. We can become stuck in our ways, clinging to familiar narratives and resisting the discomfort of questioning our beliefs. This “lag” in our thinking can be particularly evident in prison, where the environment itself encourages a sense of detachment and a reliance on established patterns of behaviour – a life of an automaton.

Seeing the World As It Is:

I cannot see things through your eyes, and to imply that I do is to elevate my own capacity to that of some superhuman, therefore you remain a mystery to some degree to me. I can at best imagine or empathise, but even that originates from my own words, experiences, memories, and self-oriented meaning. We are strangers to each other, and yet a mystery worthy of exploration. To move towards a better understanding of the other requires an energy and patience that most would rather mimic than master—but the rewards of such effort include deeper connections, greater empathy, and a more nuanced understanding of the world. It is also the place from where we gain some right to speak to the other.

Then there is the problem of who am I in the public space!

In the public sphere, we often adopt a persona, a “placebo identity,” that allows us to navigate social expectations and blend in with the crowd. This “placebo identity” is a false self, which allows us to fit in and avoid social rejection or tension. It’s important to note that there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a social self; in fact, it’s a necessary part of navigating social interactions. The problem arises when this social self becomes completely disconnected from our authentic self, creating a false and unsustainable identity. Cohesion is essential in developing mental well-being.

This tendency to create illusions about ourselves—to adopt a “placebo identity”—is a significant obstacle to genuine understanding and personal growth, and it’s often a source of conflict and misunderstanding in our relationships with others. We say we are true to ourselves, when in fact we unconsciously become what is perceived as the normal in a particular social setting. A construct of the pressure applied to us from within ourselves, and the social dynamics about us.

When over reliance on this “placebo identity”, we run the risk of a genuine loss of individual particularism and authenticity in favour of the performance generating a superficial reality that is difficult to walk away from. Such was my discovery in prison, so much of my life had been about social expectations for me, and not the important task of becoming my own “being” as my “one, own, self amongst others.” Even within the Christian community I inhabited, the pressure existed to conform to a collective religious ideal rather than embodying the true essence of Jesus from Nazareth, a perspective that became clearer to me during my incarceration.

If this is true for how we encounter each other, then how can a person really say they see the world as it truly is?

Given the nature of our ability to construct sense within the world we see so poorly, or maybe need to see from a distance, it’s possible that seeing reality as it truly is might be more challenging than we can imagine. Perhaps, in our quest for understanding, we often overestimate our own cognitive abilities, mistaking our constructed narratives for the genuine article. Consequently, this tendency to mistake constructed narratives for reality results in a kind of self-deception, where we believe we have a grasp on reality when, in fact, we are merely clinging to illusions. This self-protective illusion is merely a wrong perception created by us to make life more bearable, but at what cost?

The Price of Progress:

Our social allegiances can blind us to injustice, locking us into a superficial reality where empathy and fairness take a backseat to group loyalty. This is vividly illustrated by a recent incident in prison—an incident that, I suspect, plays out in countless social groups. An elderly man was walking through a small alleyway when a younger inmate, harbouring a grudge, cruelly bumped into him, causing him to stumble. Immediately, the younger inmate’s associates rallied to his defence, denouncing the elderly man as a “victim-playing” attention-seeker. Even two guards sided with the younger inmate, dismissing the elderly man’s complaints of bullying and intimidation.

Evidence supporting the elderly man’s account existed, just as it did for the younger man. Witnesses claimed to know exactly what happened, even though they hadn’t seen the incident firsthand. This is our nature—to fill in the gaps and create narratives based on our biases, including our social biases. But where was the basic human decency? What happened to the simple act of kindness that should have led the younger, stronger man to yield to the elderly man? This incident highlights how easily we can deceive ourselves, prioritising groupthink over individual empathy, and perpetuating a cycle of superficial relationships and missed opportunities for genuine connection. It’s a stark reminder of how easily we can be trapped in a cycle of self-deception, where our social allegiances blind us to the truth and prevent us from seeing the world as it truly is—making it all the more important to cultivate our own moral compass and be willing to stand up for what is right, even when it’s unpopular.

What happened?

Modern society has changed, leading to a shift towards individualism and away from communal values, and yet our natural biological tendency towards ‘survival’ still leans us into social tribalism where intersectionality plays a significant role. This tension between individualism and tribalism manifests in the rise of new social groups characterised by a modern form of “tribalism,” emphasising self-interest and personal utility (personal gains) over traditional values.

Heightened by social media, this pursuit of belonging through shared experiences and views has profoundly shaped how people form and maintain affiliations. People’s social affiliations now play a significant role in shaping their perceptions and beliefs, particularly among those who identify with a specific group or community. But lifelong loyalty to the “tribe” is not guaranteed, as a person’s self-interest may change, and so too their loyalty and affiliation. Opting out of these tribes is not driven by a growing understanding, but rather by the individual’s shifting allegiances—a fluid sense of identity that changes at a whim or need to attach to another, more appealing group. Maybe the only rigidity I see left is that of political group-think.

The courtroom, like society itself, is often a battleground of competing narratives, where “facts” are shaped by the prevailing social biases of the time in narrative format and allegiances. Both the defence and prosecution present their versions of the truth, often reflecting the prevailing social biases of the time, creating a temporary alliance based on shared beliefs—a fleeting coalition united by a common cause—ready to engage in mental and social gladiatorial battle. In my own court experience, I observed how easily groups fragment into tribes based on perceived ideologies, biases, allegiances, and commonalities. Yet, many of these shared characteristics are often superficial; deeper examination reveals significant disagreements. For example, shared political affiliations might mask fundamental differences on specific policy issues, or shared religious beliefs might not translate into consistent ethical behaviour in diverse situations. It’s possible that juries function more instinctively than rationally, swayed by tribal biases, and justice becomes an illusion—a hope that we get it right more often than wrong. There are, of course, those who ascend the interests of personal biases and apply themselves with wisdom and effort to do justice as best as they can.

To further illustrate the pervasive influence of social norms on court proceedings, I’ll reference a key article by Steve M. Wood (Ph.D.) and Lorie Sicafuse (Ph.D.), titled “Social Influence in the Court Room: What It Is and What to Do About It?”. In this article, the authors highlight the courtroom’s inherent reliance on persuasion, emphasising that social influence plays a pivotal role in the decision-making processes of attorneys, judges, and jurors. They argue that this influence can manifest at any point during a case, taking many forms and stemming from diverse sources. The authors’ present an insightful question:

“However, if attorneys do not know the who, what, where, when, why, and how of social influence, how can they confidently value their clients’ cases?”—underscores the critical need for a thorough understanding of these dynamics in order to effectively represent clients.” ¹

The courtroom often becomes a stage for the performance of competing narratives, where emotions run high and allegiances are fiercely defended. Prosecutors, skilled in manipulating public sentiment, can leverage the anger and perceived disenfranchisement of certain segments of the population to build a case against the accused. They carefully craft narratives—stories laden with sufficient evidence, a perceived balanced critical thinking, and a touch of imaginative disdain—to cultivate a favourable bias among jurors and sway their perception of the “facts.”

Reliance on this strategic narrative-building, however, is not unique to the prosecution, nor Defence attorneys, who also employ similar tactics, constructing their own counter-narratives to challenge the prosecution’s version of events. This dynamic, where competing narratives and tribal allegiances shape the outcome of legal proceedings, seems to be an inherent feature of our modern justice system, highlighting the interplay between evidence, storytelling, and social influence.

All this suggests to me that the modern sophistic human is still the ancient tribe that gathers around its fire to hear the myths, legends and stories that serve to consolidate its existence, even at the expense of the tribe down the other side of the mountain—as discussed previously, tribalism can also be a source of positive social bonds, cooperation, and mutual support…….

1 (From: file:///C:/Users/GGPC/Downloads/Social Influence in the Courtroom.pdf; Accessed 10:07 pm, 21/10/2024.)