Thursday, June 30, 2011

Beware the Crowd


Do you ever watch things that make you scratch your head?  A couple of weeks ago I saw some of the footage from the riots that ripped through Vancouver after the Stanley Cup. Bizarre, what were they thinking?  Apparently they weren't.  I mean really, what would cause rational human beings to react that way?  And then I watched the W-5 episode on the police response to the protesters in Toronto last June during the G8. Bizarre, what were they thinking?  Apparently they weren't.  I mean really, what would cause rational human beings to react that way?  In both instances you had people as a group doing things that they would never do as individuals. Stand any one of those Vancouver rioters next to a Starbucks by themselves and they would never consider throwing a rock through the window. 
Stand a Toronto Policeman next to a protester, and they wouldn't knock them to the ground and hit them with a stick.  It's called mob mentality when you let the group take responsibility for your actions.
I guess Mom was right when she asked, "And if all of your friends were jumping off a bridge....?" 
And that's why our relationship with God needs to be ours and not just the group's. 
Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

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