Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Are people too afraid to be a martyr or an example?
On page 7, Thoreau discusses how those in the minority who wish for change rarely take an active stance and instead wait for the majority to swing to their side and will then actively protest and attempt to make a change. He implies that people are too afraid to be the example future generations learn from, they are too afraid to be the martyr. Do you think this mindset is still popular today?
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I think this mindset is popular simply because self-preservation is usually the prevalent concern of all people. Aristotle called man the "rational animal" and the concept of preserving onself above all else satisfies those two stipulations. i believe people are afraid to be martyrs due to the risk associated with it. A martyr gives up everything, and may not even be followed or remembered. Movements die out easily. Christian martyrs are remembered and canonized as saints, but who remembers all the pagans that died for their faith? Because of this chance of failure, I think most people are discouraged from martyrdom.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is still a common issue in recent years, as many people want to sit back and watch other people agree with them and take a stand for them. It takes a lot of courage for most people to be the first to stand up against what they disagree with when it could potentially turn everyone against them and they aren’t comfortable with the consequences that come with it.
ReplyDeleteToday people are afraid to speak their mind and receive retaliation from another group which disagrees with them. This mind set has hindered the early generations because they are taught that it is very risky to go out to a group of people and speak your mind. The most prominent example I can think of of this mindset are the political parties, in which they talk of how one doesn't see their side of things they outbursts to get their way again.
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