When we start deceiving ourselves into thinking not that we want something or need something, not that it is a pragmatic necessity for us to have it, but that it is a moral imperative that we have it, then is when we join the fashionable madmen, and then is when the thin whine of hysteria is heard in the land, and then is when we are in bad trouble. And I suspect we are already there.
In her work "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," Joan Didion explores the concept of self-deception regarding our desires and needs. She warns that when we convince ourselves that our wants are not just personal choices but moral obligations, we risk losing touch with reality. This shift can lead to a collective hysteria, where the boundaries between necessity and obsession become blurred, indicating a precarious situation for society. Didion suggests that this phenomenon is already prevalent in contemporary culture.
The author points out that this state of mind transforms desires into perceived moral imperatives, leading to irrational behaviors and thoughts. Such self-deception creates a pervasive climate of hysteria, where people feel compelled to act on their "moral" convictions rather than pragmatic reasoning. Didion’s analysis serves as a cautionary reflection on the dangers of allowing our wants to dictate a false sense of ethical urgency, highlighting a deeper societal malaise that we must address.
