Arguably the most effective social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, made this observation regarding the obedient citizen: “Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terribly destructive process.” This was apparent in the tragedy of the Holocaust, where the German population, in general, obediently followed Hitler’s orders.
Why do we obey oppressors’ orders today, even after witnessing Hitler’s Germany and the barbaric effects of his process? It is partly due to the fact that we perhaps prioritize self-preservation over communal benefit. It is also due to ignorance, and a lack of proper education and research. Mostly, it is an observation of our spiritual state of being.
If we do allow and participate in the oppression’s flourishing then our actions will not be based on a spiritual adherence to the principles of love energy, which requires us to transfer our energy into love and transform ourselves toward that purity. When we defend rights and freedom against transgressions, we are upholding a higher spiritual standard. Ironically, organized religions have been notoriously abusing their spiritual trust to provoke such transgressions while veiling the population with the notion that the oppression is for the religious purpose God demands of us. How often have we plundered and pillaged in the name of spiritual benefit, yet God was never truly involved?