In which "Cult" do you qualify to belong?

by Peter Comrie

This past weekend, here in beautiful Kelowna, B.C., saw an amazing group of individuals take a stand for what is the very best of life.

We held a Full Spectrum Leadership Basic Training class with some the very finest people I have ever encountered. They gathered together on Friday with their stories, their identities, their ego's, and their courage.

Guided through the class by master facilitator Doug Cameron, by Sunday evening, this delightful group saw the possibility of their life turning out the way they have always dreamed it could. They went back into their worlds with a whole upgraded perspective about the possibilities in their lives.

Interestingly though, during the weekend, one of the class members made a call to their mother to check in. During the conversation, this delightful person, shared what they were working through in the class. Mothers response was, let me say, "interesting".

Upon hanging up, mother immediately telephoned other family members proclaiming that her middle-aged child had been abducted by a "cult", and was undergoing severe brainwashing. It resulted in our classmate getting calls of concern from other immediate, and extended family members.

Needless to say, upon hearing our classmates story, my usually quiet sardonic and acerbic sides kicked in with a full head of steam. And, I think I pulled something during my laughter.

What this whole incident did for me, was inspire me to look at the issue of "cults" to determine which one I was most attracted to. So firstly, following below, is the Wikipedia definition of "Cult".

"The word "cult" pejoratively refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are reasonably considered strange.^[1] The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices. The narrower, derogatory sense of the word is a product of the 20th century, especially since the 1980s, and is considered subjective, and is a result of the anti-cult movement, which uses the word in reference to groups seen as authoritarian, exploitative and possibly dangerous. The word implies a group which is a minority in society; for example, the Hare Krishna group was labeled a cult when imported to the West from India.^[2]"

So dear friends, following now are my "subjective" criterion of eligibility into what I see as the two most significant "cults" in my world today. You pick for yourself which one deserves the benefit of your membership. Oh, and remember, "brains" that get "washed" usually shrink. :-)

Cult #1. Individuals must be:

Angry
Judgmental
Bigoted
Sexist
Closed Minded
Opinionated
Loud
Aggressive
Non-empathetic
Non-supportive (especially to family members)
Poverty conscious (spiritually, emotionally, and financially)
Fear-based reactionaries

Cult #2. Individuals must be:

Peaceful
Accepting
Forgiving
Open-minded
Quiet
Considerate
Empathetic
Humorous
Supportive
Wealth conscious (spiritually, emotionally, and financially)
Love-based leaders

Now, I absolutely know that both Cults 1 and 2 can extend the appropriate attributes for membership far past the ones I mentioned above, but I think by now you get my point.

So my friends, decision time. Which one deserves your nod? Take your time, consider the implications, choose wisely, and then go proclaim your proposition. And remember, whomever you share your membership with will likely be "brainwashed" as they witness your actions.

Oh, and by the way, to keep my mailbox almost empty, Cult #1 members need not respond to this posting.

~peter~