On Stupidity: A 2025 Reflection (In the Spirit of Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Stupidity is a more insidious enemy of good than malice. In an era when information is abundant, yet discernment is scarce, stupidity has evolved, not merely into an individual failing, but into a systemic force, amplified by algorithms, groupthink, and ideological tribalism. Unlike evil, which carries an element of guilt and the possibility of confrontation, stupidity is happily self-satisfied, impervious to fact, and dangerously reactive when challenged. As Bonhoeffer once observed, “Neither protests nor the use of force accomplishes anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed.” This remains painfully true.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer implored us to stand against moral failure when evidence mounts, we are duty-bound to speak out before silence buries the truth.

Dr. Kevin W. McCairn’s case studies reveal amyloidogenic fibrin microclots and fibrils in a child exposed prenatally to mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, identified through Congo Red staining and Thioflavin T fluorescence, suggesting abnormal protein structures potentially tied to vaccination. (Cadaver "Calamari" Amyloidogenic Fibrin Aggregates, Amyloidogenic Fibrin Microclotting Following Prenatal mRNA Vaccination Exposure and Amyloidogenic Fibrils in a Post-Gestational Case of mRNA Vaccine Exposure: Structural, Pathophysiological, and Biosecurity Perspectives)

Echoing these concerns, my recent Substack article, Unraveling the Mystery of “Embalmers Clots”, presents chilling documentation, including a video of a surgeon extracting a fibrous, amyloid-like clot from a living patient during a procedure.

Further amplifying this alarm, John McGhee from Ireland courageously shares a video exposing similar fibrous clots being removed, raising urgent questions about their origins and implications.

Inspired by Bonhoeffer’s unwavering courage, we must confront this disturbing evidence, challenge the prevailing narrative, and demand answers to ensure the truth is not suppressed.

The Seashell Sketch: A Reflection on Resilience

Years ago, a patient gifted me a framed drawing, a meticulous sketch of seashells, their delicate lines and curves capturing nature’s intricate beauty. The muted tones and abstract background create a sense of depth, hinting at the layered complexities of life. To me, this artwork is more than a drawing; it’s a powerful symbol of resilience in today’s chaotic world. Like seashells enduring the relentless tides, we navigate challenges that test our strength, yet we persist.

The personal touch of the patient’s gift adds profound emotional weight. It transforms the sketch into a quiet testament to human endurance, the unseen battles we fight and the beauty that emerges from them. In its lines, I see a reminder: even in turmoil, there is grace, and in struggle, there is strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The Modern Condition of Stupidity

In 2025, stupidity is not just the absence of intelligence but the abdication of independent thought. People are made stupid, or allow themselves to become so, by the relentless echo chambers of social media, by the seduction of power, by the comfort of ideological certainty. It thrives in environments that discourage questioning and reward conformity. Stupidity flourishes when individuals surrender autonomy in exchange for belonging, becoming passive vessels for political slogans, media narratives, and group allegiance.

Bonhoeffer warned, “Every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity.” This infection now spreads at digital speed. Platforms designed to connect us have, instead, curated isolation within ideological enclaves. The result is a populace willing to act against its own interests, blindly defending positions dictated by those who manipulate them.

The Biblical Anchor in a Time of Information Overload

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Wisdom begins not with academic credentials, not with data, not even with intelligence, but with humility before truth. The foolish refuse instruction because it threatens the comfortable illusion of knowing. This is the paradox of our time: never before have humans had so much access to information, yet never before have they been so vulnerable to manipulation. The widespread rejection of wisdom today takes the form of dismissing inconvenient truths as “fake news,” of preferring emotional narratives over complex realities, of despising expertise when it contradicts a favored belief.

The Social Machinery of Stupidity

Stupidity is now a weaponized sociological phenomenon. It is not merely passive ignorance, it is organized. Bonhoeffer observed that those under the spell of stupidity become tools: “under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being.” This description is eerily fitting for the age of mass digital manipulation. It is far easier to control a population convinced it already knows everything. It is more useful to wield masses who chant slogans uncritically than to encourage independent thought.

Carlo Cipolla’s Five Laws of Stupidity remind us that stupidity is underestimated, universal, and disproportionately destructive when wielded by the powerful. The powerful rely on the obedience of the stupid, and the stupid comply, convinced they are acting in enlightened self-interest. This is not a defect of intelligence but a choice made under social pressure.

The Path to Liberation

If stupidity is not an intellectual failing but a human one, then education alone cannot cure it. No amount of fact-checking, academic rigor, or rational debate will free those ensnared in its grip. “Only an act of liberation, not instruction, can overcome stupidity,” Bonhoeffer wrote. And what is liberation in 2025? It is the reclaiming of individual thought, the rejection of reflexive certainty, the willingness to face uncomfortable truths.

External liberation, the breaking of oppressive structures that foster stupidity, must come first. But internal liberation, the willingness to resist the temptation of easy answers, determines whether that freedom endures. A people desperate for certainty, unwilling to wrestle with complexity, will always be ready to surrender their minds to the next demagogue, the next faction, the next ideology that tells them exactly what to think.

A Note of Hope

Stupidity is not inevitable, nor is it universal. In 2025, as in Bonhoeffer’s time, there remains a choice: Will those in power expect more from the people’s wisdom or from their stupidity? Will society demand independent thought or reward blind allegiance? The answer determines the fate of nations.

But the greatest hope lies not in institutions but in individuals. We are not powerless in the face of rank stupidity. We can choose to resist its lure. We can cultivate discernment, guard our minds, and reclaim autonomy. Let us, then, hold fast to the fear of the Lord, the beginning of knowledge. Let us commit ourselves to liberation, both external and internal, lest we become complicit in the diabolical misuse of stupidity. For in this resistance, we preserve what is good, what is true, and what remains worthy of hope. The Seashell Sketch is A Reflection of Resilience