Well, to the extent that any sorry soul is ill integrated into the status quo's local matrix of misfeasance, they will be perceived as delusional by their peers. While the foregoing could portend an ensuing defense (on my part as a nonconformist), let me wholly dispel that anticipation by emphatically declaring up front, “Of course I'm delusional - highly delusional, in fact.” That being said, allow me the liberty to precisely define “delusional” for the purpose of this post. In saying, “delusional”, I refer to our species' tendency or affinity to delusion and insanity, rather than the condition of harboring any particular set of delusions. For a succinct insight into delusion per se, it's hard to beat the Devil's Dictionary:
comprising Enthusiasm, Affection, Self-denial, Faith,
Hope, Charity and many other goodly sons and daughters.
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All hail, Delusion! Were it not for thee
The world turned topsy-turvy we should see;
For Vice, respectable with cleanly fancies,
Would fly abandoned Virtue's gross advances.
Mumfrey Mappel
Now regarding said affinity to delusion, we might identify it more forcefully as powerful propensities or even hopelessly ingrained habits. Nevertheless, persons strongly susceptible to delusion could, in principle, suffer far fewer actual delusions than individuals with considerably less severe inclinations. Indeed, a highly delusion prone person who is sufficiently honest with herself may notice particularly strong emotional reactions to various issues which serve to distract from, or even prohibit logical analysis. This awareness in turn holds the potential for an avalanche of self-sincerity and the wholesale eradication of many ghosts and delusions. Two aspects of this process are most notable. First, the annihilation of dearly held precious beliefs can be accomplished not only with runaway dispatch, but also with negligible emotional discomfort. And second, the end result is remarkably stable; so regression back to delusion is not a threat. What this tells us is that many such beliefs, regardless of how vehemently proclaimed and emotionally celebrated, are not really believed in the first place (albeit defending said delusions can lead to a horrible and early death).
While it is common for communal delusions to be sufficiently gripping to support unlimited mass killings under the excuse of war, these very same deadly sentiments can be forever evaporated under the soft light of sincere personal reflection. In a nut shell, the impetus behind delusion is fear, while the force behind its liquidation is love. Nothing promotes love more than reason and that is exactly where this world is unstoppably headed. Why? Because, in the end, nothing works better than reason.
Exactly how delusional is our species? The irrepressible response that resonates so thoroughly within this writer (despite an inadequate repertoire to compare ourselves with) is that delusion is undeniably our most prominent psychological characteristic. In fact, it could practically be used to define the species if it were not for the fact that we do have the (undeveloped) capacity to choose objective truth over personal priorities based in fanciful desires and fear.
And while incredible delusions flow from our allure and memorization with the world's proprietary monetary system, this still does not constitute our most primal and grandiose delusions, but instead issues from them. For instance, one may have found my above reference to the “local matrix of misfeasance” a bit presumptive. Yet, I'd maintain that any government that does not allow individuals to freely subscribe and unsubscribe from its services is guilty of misfeasance from the get-go and has no real claim to legitimate power. In other words, there are massive delusions over the essence of authority that far exceed those we suffer with money. Nevertheless our primary focus remains on freedom through currency alternatives, as this smaller beast is indeed the tail that will wag the dog.
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