Thoughts while reading Goldman..

Just some random thoughts I had while reading Goldman. This in particular struck a chord with me:
"The primitive man, unable to understand his being, much less the unity of all life, felt himself absolutely dependent on blind, hidden forces ever ready to mock and taunt him. Out of that attitude grew the religious concepts of man as a mere speck of dust dependent on superior powers on high, who can only be appeased by complete surrender...Man can have all the glories of the earth, but he must not become conscious of himself. The State, society, and moral laws all sing the same refrain: Man can have all the glories of the earth, but he must not become conscious of himself."

I think that society makes the individual utterly conscious of the self. It criticizes and ostracizes those who don't fall into the normal range of being. For example, children tease one another, peer pressure causes people to do things they normally wouldn't. This reminds me of the phrase "don't be so self-conscious," which does not imply that one should not be aware of one's surroundings, actions, or the actions of others -- it is to imply that the individual should not abstract an other within their own mind which holds them back. That other is often the individual's notion of what society wants. So, another way to say the same thing would be: "Don't care so much what other people think of you."

Yes, religion and society were first built upon the notion that the individual is nothing but society has progressed (a notion that Emma Goldman would appreciate) from that state to a state where individuals have the option to think freely and live as they please. This is a right which may be voluntarily given up, not an inexorable aspect of humanity.

It seems Emma Goldman was keen to highlight Anarchism's invitation to freely think, but hardly touches on the consequences when people fail to think, or worse, turn poor thoughts into action.