Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - Stand for Something (When It’s Easier to Join the Mob)

Episode Date: November 25, 2022

On a recent trip, I learned that the last so-called witch to be executed in Scotland died in 1727.Of course, there are still people being tortured, killed, and scapegoated around the world today. But we’re more likely to be involved in hanging people on social media.sarahmikutel.comDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Welcome to Live Without Borders, a travel and wellness show for expats, the expat curious, and globally minded citizens of the world. We are the travelers, the culturally curious, the experiences and not things kind of people. And we know that freedom is about more than getting on a plane. It's about becoming the most heroic versions of ourselves, which is why on this podcast, you will hear insider travel secrets, inspiring expat stories and advice on how to live abroad. but you will also hear episodes that will help give you the clarity, focus, and skills you need to create a life that will set your soul on fire. I am your host, Sarah Micatel, a certified clarity coach trained in the Enneagram, and I first moved abroad on my own at age 18, and I have been permanently enjoying life in Europe since 2010. If you are ready to make some big moves in your life

and want my help moving from someday to seize the day, visit live without borderspodcast.com. Witches, what comes to mind when you hear that word? Broomsticks, spells and mean cackling laughter, outcasts, the Salem Witch Trials if you grew up in the U.S. or some other trial if you live elsewhere. When I was on my tour in the north of Scotland, we drove to a town called Bores, where at the bottom of a steep grassy slope called Clooney Hill, there is a plaque recognizing the death of one of the thousands of people killed in Scotland for supposedly being. a witch. The people persecuting these women and sometimes men pushed these supposed witches down the hill in barrels spiked with nails, and wherever it landed, they burned the barrel. In Macbeth, Shakespeare actually had the three witches meet in this area. Witch trials and executions were going strong across Europe during this time. Even though there had been mention of witchcraft for a thousand

years, witch trial mania hit its peak from the mid-1500s through the 1600s. But people were executed before that, and the last so-called witch to be executed in Scotland died in 1727. And in case you're curious, Germany is the region that killed the most people for being witches. And my tour guide, Jim, is part of a group that's trying to get a pardon for anyone who is convicted of witchery at that time, which I think is really nice that even though these injustices happened so long ago, these people weren't forgotten and people are still trying to get them justice even to this day. Witchcraft officially became illegal in Scotland in 1563, but nobody really cared about this law until a few decades later. And that is when King James the Six, who was based in Scotland,

was supposed to marry Anne of Denmark. But stormy skies kept her from sailing over. So he ended up sailing to her, also facing dangerous weather. And he ended up spending time in the Danish court. and legend has it that somebody who was in charge of the royal ships was accused of doing a shoddy job. And so that man blamed a witch for trying to kill the future king of England and his wife at sea. And this lie got him off the hook and they had a witch trial. So there was a witch trial in Denmark, but then James initiated his own witch trials in 1591. And then he wrote a book called Demonology, where he talked about the devil and demon classification and why witches should be punished. By the way, this is the same guy who the King James Bible is named after, and also the royal that Guy Fox tried to blow up. So here in England on November 5th, we have Guy Fox Day to commemorate that day. Guy Fox failed. He didn't blow up Parliament. And on that day or around that day, we always have a fireworks show. And in the past, they would hang an effigy of Guy Fox. I don't know. That still must happen somewhere.

but I haven't seen it in the areas that I've been in. It's believed that Shakespeare used demonology as his source for the witch scene in Macbeth. Again, Shakespeare was actually living through this insane time. He wasn't just writing fantasy. He was taking material from a conspiracy concocted by his own king. I think this is fascinating. Shakespeare was creating art, imitating life. But many people actually believed what King James had to say about witches.

and this eventually killed about 4,000 people in Scotland alone. These women were scapegoats for things like bad weather and crop damage. They were pawns in a competition between different religions about who was the most godly. And also, somebody could just accuse you of being a witch simply because they didn't like you. And the accused usually confessed under torture, which included sleep deprivation. And this explains some of the crazy devil stories that they told because they were under duress. And really, they were not getting let out of that situation. They were tortured until they said what people wanted them to say. And the public went along for the ride because they didn't want

to be accused of being a witch or being pushed down a hill in a spiked barrel that does not sound like a good way to go. So I'm curious, would you have said anything? This reminds me of a powerful image that I've talked about a number of times on this podcast, but I just keep going back to it because I just find it so inspiring. It's a black and white photo of a crowd listening to Hitler given address at a shipyard. And I'll just quote the caption, June 13th, 1936. While all those present raise their right arms in the obligatory German salute, one man refuses and crosses his arms. We have varying, sometimes conflicting information on the identity of this brave nonconformist. His name was probably August Lanmasser. End quote.

This is courage. When it comes to things that extreme, it's really hard to know what we would do. I hope we would do the right thing. In today's world, there are still people being tortured, killed, scapegoated, even accused of being witches. But today, we are more likely to be involved in hanging people on social media. I see this a lot in the online business space, especially. The leader of a Facebook group or someone in it will say something like, I don't like so-and-so anymore because of XYZ. And then there will be a pile on in the comment. I never liked her.

She sucks. Unsubscribe and delete. Maybe the object of scorn said the wrong thing, didn't say anything, befriended the wrong person. But instead of giving this person grace and trying to understand where they're coming from, people have to give a hot take. Why? As Marcus Aurelius says in the meditations, you have the option of not having an opinion. The world doesn't need more gossip and complaining. or people jumping on the bandwagon to cheer on this kind of behavior.

What kind of energy do you want to put out into the world? What kind of attitude? Are you contributing to the noise or creating harmony? As human beings, we are wired for community, and our stress alarms start firing if we think we might be thrown out of our group for some reason. So not wanting to rock the boat is natural, but it doesn't mean that we should cheer when somebody else is being forced to walk the plank. Save yourself some time and mental headspace and avoid the mob.

the witch hunts. Or better yet, challenge what they're doing by proposing an alternative viewpoint. Like, hey, this person is having the worst week of their life. How about we cut them some slack? We are all connected in this universe and we are made for each other. As Marcus said, keep reminding yourself of the way things are connected, of their relatedness. All things are implicated in one another and in sympathy with each other. This event is the consequence of some other one. Things push and pull on each other and breathe together and are one. And that is from the meditations, the Gregory Hay's translation. Joining the mob is easy. Standing for something meaningful, especially when you're standing alone, that takes courage and character. It's the more challenging

road and it's the more rewarding one. For you and also for everybody else, the world needs more leaders and critical thinkers. This means stepping out of our echo chambers and listening to the ideas that differ from our own. Maybe we are not right about everything. Maybe we have more to learn. We live in an age that moves so fast that we often don't take the time to pause before we react on social media. Or we're afraid to say anything at all and remain silent. But it doesn't prevent us from getting outraged by all the swirl. Let's slow things down. The next time you see someone being figuratively push down a hill in a spiked barrel, don't set them on fire. Remember, they are a human being. Let's give people some grace. Let's not join the witch hunts. Let's model kindness

and wisdom and courage. Be a leader whose words reflect your character. You are that kind of person. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.