You see, a civilized child thinks for itself
up until it is six or seven or so, and then the schools get hold of it,
and from then on, it's tradition and believing what it's told to
believe. That goes on through school life. Then at work, the man who
would dare to vary on his own account is not wanted. So independent
thought is not possible there. Work finished, it's the evening paper and
editorial opinions. So really, man does not get much of a chance to
think straight at any time. I guess if he did, the whole scheme would
fall to pieces. That's why I say civilized man does not only not think,
but perhaps can't think. His brains are not trained to it. Give the
average man something with real, straight, original, first-hand thought
in it, and he's simply unable to tackle it. His brain has not been
cultivated. He wilts mentally. It's like putting the work of a man on a
boy. Catch what I mean? Now a savage gets more of a chance. It was that
way with Ista. She had thought out things for herself and had her own
beliefs, but they were not the beliefs the Tlingas were supposed to
hold. But after all she did not tell me much besides her own disbeliefs.
When you think of it, no one can tell another much. What you know you
have to discover alone. All she told me was what was going to be done,
and that was about as disappointing as the information you might get
about what would take place in initiation in a secret society.
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