This week in Iran, under the cover of an internet and cell phone service blackout (I’ll bet you didn’t know a government could do that), the ruling government attempted to put down civilian protests. The effort included what is believed to be thousands if not tens of thousands of murders. The slaughter of protesters and dissidents is how totalitarian regimes maintain power – through fear, intimidation, and murder.

                And so it occurs to me: how does the government carry out such an atrocity? Who are the soldiers and secret police agents who carry out that order? How can they do such a thing? Why would they follow that kind of order? What kind of person . . . ?

                The answer is found in historical records as far back as we have recorded history. It is not merely that the slaughterers are in positions of power and they enjoy beating, torturing, and killing other humans. It is not simply that they view being a government tool as an avenue to wealth, prosperity, and security for their families. These are certainly factors, but not the whole story. Of course, there are some people who are simply bullies by nature and who enjoy nothing better than being given government sanction to run amok. But those are few. What about the others?

                The answer is that such brutality – and the willingness of the majority of “uninvolved” citizens to stand by and let it happen – is the culmination of a long process of psychological conditioning. To succeed, the ruling leaders know they need to convince the populace (and very specifically the people they recruit to wear the uniforms and carry the guns) that the people they are killing are the enemy. They need people to believe that they are a threat. A threat to “our way of life” and a threat to “our future.” They are out to get “us” and destroy what “we” have. They are deranged and antisocial and abnormal and radical. They seek to upend the things we love. They want to corrupt our children. They want to take away from “us” the things we value and love. They are the enemy. They must be defeated, and once defeated politically, they must be beaten down, and ultimately destroyed.

                The destruction of the enemy must be viewed as a good, proper, righteous, and necessary thing. It is not evil to destroy the enemy, it is justified and even noble. The leaders of the assault must undertake a long and consistent communications campaign to convince their supporters that it is “us” against “them” and that “our” survival, prosperity, and future happiness is dependent on getting rid of “them.” It is a war. “We” are on the side of good and right, and “they” are out to get “us.” If “we” don’t fight back, they will win, and they will kill “us” – figuratively, at least, by making “our” country into their country. They will force “us” to give up everything we love and live the way they want. “Our” only hope is to defeat them at all costs.

                It is a tried and true formula. Make people believe that the humans you want to kill are not worthy of living – and that they are out to kill you if “we” don’t kill them first. It is a world in which there is only “us” and them. There is a war going on, and you must pick a side. Choosing to support the rights of them means you are against “us” – which makes you also the enemy.

                It is the polarization of the society. Tolerance is not an option. Living together in peace is not an option. Appreciating and even applauding differences is unthinkable. Minding your own business and not caring if other people think, behave, love, or worship differently is impossible. Tolerance is weakness. Tolerance is an invitation to them to infiltrate further into “our” society and corrupt “us” further. “We” must drive them out, and kill them if necessary.

                Only after years of indoctrination – hearing the drumbeat of “us” versus them over and over, no matter what the context – can otherwise good and well-meaning people be convinced to take action they would otherwise find abhorrent. And to accept that behavior.

                And the leaders will also manufacture situations where they can point to them and show them engaged in violence, or committing crimes, or molesting “our” children. The vilification of them is not complete until the leaders can point to images of their storm troopers beating protesters and successfully convince viewers that the protesters were at fault – that they attacked the troopers and that the troopers were protecting themselves and protecting “you” and that you should be happy that you have storm troopers because otherwise they would be killing “us.” They are criminals – drug dealers and child molesters and rapists. All of them. They are bad people. They do not deserve rights or protections. And anyone who is otherwise part of “us” who protects them or fights for their rights or interferes with our troops who are trying to protect “us” by killing them has crossed over to their side. Such people, who may look like “us” and live near “us” are really radicalized and are now the enemy also.

                There is an inherent human predisposition to want to be part of a group. A family. A tribe. A village. A congregation. We enjoy groups and want desperately to be part of a group that loves and supports us. We are easily swayed into thinking that a different group is our rival. Our adversary. Our enemy. We are quick to take sides. And there are people in the world – and throughout history – who will seize on this to sway people, manipulate people, and achieve their objectives by convincing otherwise good people to do bad things – or at least to look the other way and accept atrocities committed by the troopers who are on “our” side.

                Look around and ask yourself whether you see this behavior. The division of things into “us” (the good and righteous) and “them” (the radicals and depraved lunatics). Ask yourself who is telling you who the enemy is.

                It has been rightly said that Evil thrives in the darkness. That Evil exists only if good people allow it by taking no action to oppose it. When your government attempts to cut off communication and control the media so that contrary information is suppressed (or even criminalized), you’ll know for sure that the group you have believed is “us” is really a group of leaders who have been using you, manipulating you, and counting on you going along and keeping quiet.

                Consider waking up, turning on the lights, and paying attention. You can make your own decision about choosing tolerance and love or choosing division and hate. You do not have to choose a side, because there is no war. There is an option to choose peace.

                Consider not blindly believing what “your” side tells you to think. Consider not automatically supporting “your” army’s actions. Consider questioning whether what your leaders are telling you is consistent with the facts. When they tell you not to believe your eyes and ears and instead accept as true things that they want to be true, but which you can see are false – consider making up your own mind.

                Consider choosing peace.