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GULLIBILITY OF HUMANS

Writer's picture: KONTENT KARTELKONTENT KARTEL



GI’ve alway wondered how can people be so gullible? I clearly remember a scam going on when I was in school about a person selling a Quarter for a Dollar. Obviously he wrapped it around some fairy tale of why this is a special quarter worth a lot of money and the buyers are getting a real value for their money at only 1 USD. He also packaged it in a nice acrylic that showcases the coin. But it’s essentially a Quarter for a Dollar. And this was pre-internet days. He was selling it openly on one of those home shopping channels, and he made a killing off it. This was going on for a couple of years and in the end the authorities arrested him.


Then today I was taking my morning walk and listening to the audiobook version of the book Sapiens, it is noted that humans, or Homo sapiens, naturally form close-knit groups that function best with around 100 to 150 people. When groups grow larger than this, they often fragment. So, how did we manage to evolve into sprawling cities, nations, and empires? The answer, according to the book, lies in our capacity for belief—in myths, fairy tales, and shared fictions. In ancient times, people believed their kings or emperors were divinely chosen, sons of gods, or directly mandated by heaven. Such beliefs, whether religious or cultural, allowed vast numbers of people to unite under a common cause.


Simon Sinek, in his book Start with Why, explains that a leader who can inspire their followers—be it a CEO or a commander—can make them charge into a fire or leaping off a cliff for them. This isn’t because of blind obedience but because those followers share a deep sense of purpose. They believe in something greater than themselves, a mission they are fully invested in.

Another example of this is illustrated in the film Maharaj, where virgin girls willingly offered themselves to this revered leader who is considered Godlike, as offerings to the Gods. These young women, with the full consent of their parents, believed they were performing a holy act by submitting themselves to this man. In the end when the village snapped out of the spell, they took him to court for rape charges.


💡 All of this underscores the human tendency towards gullibility and the powerful influence of shared beliefs. These beliefs can drive people to accomplish extraordinary feats, like putting a man on the moon, and many times it drives people to do horrific things like ethnic cleansing and genocides.


One passage in Sapiens offers a humorous yet thought-provoking observation: you could never walk up to a chimpanzee and convince it to give up a banana in his hand in exchange for the promise of a whole forest of bananas all to himself in heaven after it dies.

💡 Yet, half the human population around the world agree to that on a daily basis. It’s strange how logic hits you right smack in the middle of the face when you have an outside perspective looking in


ULLIBILITY OF HUMANS

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