Hysteria. Hypocrisy. Hypnosis.
I looked at the root source of these three words to see if the “Hy” were a common factor in their meaning. As it is, they all derive from different origins. Of course, I am no Etymologist, but I was certain the “Hy” had to be Greek for “stupidity” or “irresponsibility.”
The catalyst for my thinking on this is the anniversary date of the “Witch Trials.” It was on September 22, 1692, that eight people were hanged for their alleged crimes as witches. They were the last of those to be hanged for those “crimes” in the United States.
In all, they were among 20 who were killed as a result of that mass hysteria. Hysteria. All of it took place in the New England village of Salem. In Massachusetts, which wasn’t a state yet, obviously.
Here is what happened, by my estimation. People put “seeds” in other people’s minds. They planted them where fear made for ripe soil in those brains. Those “planters” — those Puritan leaders — told all those fearful people that demonic possessions existed among them. Convinced them, in fact. Panic ensued. So that Puritan community got behind those “planters,” those accusers, and that support led to more than 200 accusations against anyone suspected of witchcraft.
They were relentless in those accusations, all based on fear. As an example, a few young girls — including Elizabeth Parris, who was 9-years-old, and Abigail Williams, age 11 — were blamed for being possessed by the devil. They were accused of being a part of the witchcraft. Then there was Dorothy “Dorcas” Good. She was by far the youngest accused, at age 4. That little 4-year-old spent eight months in the prison’s dungeon before being released. Her mother, Sarah Good, was also in jail, but she was later executed.
These all sound like numbers until they are names. They were people, being falsely accused, held against their will, and then murdered for nothing at all. Such is the way of power in our history. In our present.
Those found guilty were often chained to the walls in the prison’s basement. They called it the “Witch Jail” — an extraordinary place. It was a perpetually “dark, cold, and wet dungeon infested with water rats.” Many of them were women, and they were forced to strip naked and undergo physical examinations of their nude bodies. It was an ongoing series of torture and humiliation.
What caused these accusations in the first place? Probably happiness. You see, those “witches” had been seen them dancing while they were out in the woods. Or singing. Things like that. This hysteria resulted in the arrests of nearly 200 people.
None were burned at the stake, a common misconception when it comes to the witch trials. No, they were hanged to death. Can you imagine being locked in some dungeon with your 4-year-old daughter, knowing you would be put to death? And being unsure about the fate of your child?
I grouped those first three words together because they seemed to fit our country’s current situation. We live among a widening swell of hysteria, hypocrisy, hypnosis.
Yesterday, on social media, I saw yet ANOTHER person say that the COVID-19 virus is a hoax, along with climate change, a hoax. It appears we are in a place where people are hypnotized. They will not believe science, math, and history. They would rather follow the words of a two-bit game show host, because they fear the “witches.” Yes, the “witches.” The ones who dance and sing, and want to feed the people and give them shelter. The ones who dance and sing, and want to make the air better to breath. They sing some more — the ones who would take care of the old and the sick.
The “witches” who want to include EVERYONE in human rights. And not just the puritans in their pulpits and pews.
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“Fear cuts deeper than swords.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
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“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
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“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
― Plato
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