Most of the people are Victims of the Popular Opinion

by Avital Zephaniah

The idol worshipping world

 So, you think that you are normal. You have a job, family, friends, hobbies and you don't have time for nonsense. Idol worshippers belong in temples, offering sacrificial offerings on their altars, or in creepy dark attics, playing out horror movie scripts in front of their makeshift shrines. You are smarter than that.

The modern world has a lot to offer. After centuries of evolution and development we evolved into supremely intelligent beings. We discovered new continents, we invented amazing things, we found cures. And yet most of us lack one fundamental thing. Many of us don't have freedom any more, because we willingly surrendered our voices to the popular opinion.

Popular opinion is a belief or sentiment shared by most people, the voice of the people. It's very powerful and even more stealthy. It quietly attacks us every day - through media, and skillful marketing techniques - it influences our fashion and lifestyle choices, minor and major purchases, political views etc. etc. Women get convinced that they absolutely need $1000 shoes from Valentino in different colors because nearly every fashion blog suggests that every respected fashionista has to own them. Or that boyfriend watch from Marc Jacobs. Or that JCrew necklace. Or that they absolutely have to start doing yoga. Or go vegan. Men lose sleep over golf clubs, iPhones, cars, gym memberships... People believe blindly what they are being told! Researches show that poll results are no longer reliable because of the public opinion. People so desperately try to belong and fit in that they completely got out of touch with themselves. They became puppets of American idols.

What happens when somebody is being worshipped? Their ego gets more and more powerful until it finally takes over. It takes over not only the one who is being worshipped, but the worshippers as well. Its power is very destructive and totalitarian. It silences the masses and slowly but surely shapes our world into a cruel, superficial and  money-hungry place. Do we really want this for ourselves and for our children?

Freedom is the most precious gift one can get. Dependence on other people and material things slows us down and prevents us from bettering ourselves. Our journey through life is meaningless if we get out of touch with ourselves. How sad it is when one loses his face, his voice, his very essence becoming a blurry reflection of the popular opinion...

The road to freedom starts with defeating the idols with their agendas and egos and getting to know yourself. It might be harder than you think, but luckily, like any other creation, we come with an instruction manual, written by the Creator who knows us better than anybody else. The first step is defeating your own ego and acknowledging that there is a Master Engineer running this world, and there's more to life than just existence followed by death, that there are rules by which we have to play. We are not in charge of anything, but we can choose what we think, what we say and what we do. The rest is up to the One who runs the show. The world is in good hands.