Reading rosyxxx's journal

Quoting from my profile, and hence from author Edward Hunter, I have this to say on the subject of the sort of brainwashing that goes on rampantly in political regimes, religious organizations, and in abusive relationships:

The intent is to change a mind radically so that its owner becomes a living puppet - a human robot - without the atrocity being visible from the outside. The aim is to create a mechanism in flesh and blood, with new beliefs and new thought processes inserted into a captive body. What that amounts to is the search for a slave race that, unlike the slaves of olden times, can be trusted not to revolt, always to be amenable to orders, like the insect to instincts. - Edward Hunter, "Brainwashing"

If you do any sort of reading, extensive or otherwise, about Hitler's regime, or Pol Pot, or Mao, or even Jim Jones, and David Koresh, you are likely to find out that these are not all dark, or at least weren't so in the beginning. Jim Jones spearheaded a number of efforts early on to help the unfortunate and needy, following a trend that a lot of egoistic cult leaders follow, which is to search out those who are either weak, or whom have recently witnessed severe tragedies in their lives, such as the loss of a job, a death in the family, or severe illness. Even Hitler began with a desire to reinstitute German pride in the rich history of his country, heralding what many thought at the time to be a German rennaissance. Of course, something went terribly wrong along the way...power over others has a tendency way to often to create paranoid egomaniacs.

I guess one has to ask constantly of oneself, everytime you think about even such things as the phrase "turning it over to a higher power", is this higher power, or is this person who is its representative, even, humble enough to want what is best for you TRULY, or is it only a ruse designed to make you think that what they want for themselves is what you want? If the latter is a pertinent description of someone who has the potential to 'brainwash' another, then everyone could, conceivably, at one time or another, be considered suspect in that department.

However, we are all human, and sometimes we try to force our opinions on others, only later to realize that they have a right to their own opinion, however faulty we may think it is. Others don't have that sense of conscience, and ultimate power, ultimate control is their aim, in the guise of helping you. They may even make it possible for you to achieve great heights financially, politically, and even spiritually, but one always probably ought to be asking the question: "Is this person or organization still honoring my right to be human, and not an automaton?" Is there room to be 'you' in the midst of the cohesiveness called variously, Oneness, family, and the group?

False gurus are everywhere and anywhere. Cult leaders exist as organizers of even small groups of 2 or 3 people, and cults aren't necessarily strictly the preserve of religious groups or political organizations. Sometimes they claim to be able to help you just succeed in the world, and success isn't bad, but when you lose your sense of being human and become like an insect, or an automaton following orders, that isn't good.

Many philosophers throughout the ages have advocated the healthy questioning of anything you hear. I'd venture to say that listening to your heart is the best way to go about it. If you place yourself within your heartspace, and something feels funny about what you are being told, it probably is....humility, kindness, forgiveness, respect and love for others as yourself are life-affirming. Blind obedience without question is not....however much it might land you a $100,000 a year job. Some things just are not worth the price you have to pay to get them.

But then you know, you all do know me, I, just as much as everyone else can have the tendency to do things that are bad for me, and which I don't consider to be morally right. Sometimes it is so hard to let go of old ways of being, especially when there are those who actively don't want you to let go. But I have to say, I continually question myself. I know there are many, many things I still need to change about my life, but I'm not about to give up my right to be human.

I am quite aware that both before I came to this site, and while I was on it, and even now, I am recovering from the aftereffects of having survived a cult-like atmosphere involving severe brainwashing. To that end, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching, and a lot of reading, as well as no longer drinking or smoking as a way to cope. As far as reading, here is another relevant passage from a book:

Negative cult experiences and their traumatic aftereffects need to be confronted and explored so that their effect can be diminished. This exploration allows positive and constructive developments to take hold. To facilitate healing, most cult survivors find it useful to understand the dynamics of cult organizations, their social structures and internal workings, concepts related to thought-reform, and social-psychological influences and the sophisticated recruitment, retention, and control techniques cults use. Acquiring an objective understanding of your cult experience is a crucial part of moving beyond it.

I think it is very important to realize that some of the most educated, thoughtful people living in the world today have found themselves in the midst of a cult, when they fell prey to some manipulative soul who took advantage of them at a low point in their lives, such as after the death of a loved one to suicide. It isn't just religious groups that do this...it happens in one-on-one relationships all the time. For example, someone is recovering from drug addiction, or they saw their whole family murdered and escaped to another country as a refugee, or their child or wife or mother died, or they were, for instance a prisoner-of-war, traumatized by the whole ordeal.

What happens to someone in the aftermath of tragedies such as war, which used to be termed "shell-shocked", and is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, has shockingly similar symptoms and often misdiagnosis as such mental illnesses as Bipolar Disorder, or severe Depression. Getting to the root cause is vitally important. Taking back your life, and choosing yourself where to dedicate it is of the utmost importance if you want to be human, and not a zombie, robot, insect, Borg, or an automaton.

If you find yourself opting to dedicate your life to the upliftment of humanity, and doing selfless service, and it always remains a choice which you can change your mind about, in other words, you don't have to remain a nun, or a renunciate, or a social worker, or a counselor, or a priest, or even a garbage truck driver, then you are likely not working from a totalitarian perspective. Freedom, the freedom to make your own mistakes and learn from them is paramount. Any guru or organization that doesn't allow you to make choices, or that coerces you into making them is working from a place of power and control, not love and the forces of love.

Since this is my journal, I'd say it's pretty acceptable for me to write in it just simply as a bunch of musings on the state of my soul. This isn't a forum, so I'm not preaching to anyone, nor am I expecting any responses. Since I am not expecting any responses you all will pardon me in the event that someone does and I miss it due to inattention on this site.

Coming here to write this was just a detour from my daily pattern, but one I felt to be necessary for my own personal reasons. If it means anything to you, great. If not, that's fine too.

Take care all!

My mind is made up...not like my bed, which is a mess.