A fascination with cults and the dangerous road one must travel to become a cult leader.
Art by Pete Whitehead
Listen Free: | Apple Podcasts | Pandora | Stitcher | Spotify |
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Orginal Music: Aaron Calafato
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
You're listening to 7 Minute Stories with Aaron Calafato. Visit our website 7minutestories.com. That's the number 7minutestories.com to see the awesome new merch available this season. Choose from stickers, koozies, T-shirts, tote bags, and more. I have to say the tote bag is my favorite. This episode, "The Cult Leader."
I'm fascinated with cult documentaries or documentary series, and in this episode, I'm going to explain why. I'm sure you've seen them, if you haven't again, if you're a kid, you shouldn't be watching these. If you're an adult, you may have seen these, here's a few. "The Vow", any documentary about Heaven's Gate, or Scientology, like "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief", "Sons of Perdition", "Wild Wild Country", "Children of God", I think "Holy Hell". The list goes on.[
I'm obsessed with these, and the reason why I'm obsessed with this is because... Most stories are about telling a story about how you are imperfect or you found yourself in a very human situation, which means we're all imperfect. I try to tell stories like that all the time where it's like, let me tell you a story about how I did this and how I made the wrong choice or how I was conflicted in this moment or how I'm not righteous.
It really is about showing our full humanity. That's what great storytelling is. Most stories are like that. Most stories I try to tell are like that. Here's a story that's a little different in the sense that I can't seem to find myself or find an inroad to the humanity of someone starting a cult. I just can't get on that train.
Let me clarify. I can understand how someone may start a cult. How he could get there. Maybe how they have an upbringing that causes them some emotional turmoil that creates a person who could do something like that, or maybe they're just built that way, some sort of genetic mutation, they're a sociopath.
I can understand how it starts, but I still, after watching all of these, can't understand how they take the full ride from starting something and then by the end of it, exploiting hundreds of people, maybe more. Hurting them, brainwashing them, financially ruining them, abusing them in ways I can't even mention on this podcast, people of all ages. Using that power to do such harm over years, decades, unapologetically. I just can't grasp it.
On the other side, this doesn't apply to kids because that's a whole different story but consenting adults, I can understand how you might join a cult because there's those first few phases. Because cults usually start off where it's like you're in a vulnerable space, or you're on a spiritual journey looking for answers.
You come across a book or somebody, a speaker, a guru or somebody, an advocate and they offer this message that, on the surface, is really interesting and might apply to you. In fact, if you start using some of the practices, you start seeing positive benefits. That's like phase one and two. But then things start getting weird. You start having to talk a certain way, wear certain clothes, eat certain food. You have to start getting on diets. You have to ostracize your friends and family.
All these things. These are all red flags. Start getting tattoos. You don't want to get even worse things that I want to talk about on the podcast. Some of these, you find yourself if you're joining a cult you're in these situations where you're like, at some point, a red flag got to come up and go, "Wait a second. I don't want to do this. This isn't what I signed up for."
I can't get how you start off by reading a brochure on a spiritual journey, next thing you know, you're on a mountaintop about to drink poison and get picked up by aliens. How does that happen? I can't fathom it. I have such compassion for people who not only get caught up in this but then end up going that terrible road all the way to the end, or spent decades of their lives being exploited.
I think one of the reasons why I like these cult documentaries is that it's empowering to the people who have gotten out or who are telling or teaching a lesson about don't get involved in something like this. They have such strength and power. I really have respect for people who are able to, no matter what they've gone through, still figure a way out. That's an incredible thing to witness. But as far as the cult leader, you take an opportunity to take people's trust and do what you do, I can't find myself there.
Look, we all make mistakes. We all hurt. We all lie. We can exploit each other. We can harm people throughout our lives. That's normal. That's human. We're not perfect. But if your life's work or if your life is centered, the thrust of your existence is about taking people's trust and vulnerability and using it as a means for personal gain, that's evil. I'm at a point in my life where I think it's okay to call that evil, and it's okay not to see the humanity in that because it's inhuman.
Now, I can tell you a scenario that I was in where I could see how maybe a cult would start. Again, this is just a loose parallel but let me just give you an example here. When I would tour monologues around the country, a lot of the times on these stops I would do storytelling workshops. In the storytelling workshops I do, we do a lot of emotional work where you just engage your emotions to inform the stories that you tell so they come out more human and more connected.
Sometimes when you do that work, it elicits emotions. I remember this particular situation at Purdue University, several years ago, I had a group of about 10-15 wonderful students from 18-24, and we were doing some of these exercises. Some of the students started crying and opening up and sharing their stories.
Man, I felt the weight of that moment. The responsibility of that moment, to honor the sacred nature of that moment. To let them know it was okay and safe to do that and that I wouldn't harm them. We wouldn't harm them. That they should be proud that they were able to share that and then use that to fortify strength for whatever they want to do in the future.
Those are the moments that many of us find ourselves on a big scale or a small scale where we take people who have given us their trust and you have got to honor it. There really is a fork in the road in those moments, but if you find yourself more times than not in a situation where you're utilizing people's trust and vulnerability as an opportunity, you may not be a cult leader, you may not be a cult leader, yet.
Today's episode of 7 Minute Stories is made possible by Fishbowl. Now I started using Fishbowl because I asked myself this question. Is there an app for professionals that doesn't feel gross, that doesn't feel like Facebook or LinkedIn? Is there something that provides a safe space where you can get the inside scoop on companies you actually want to work for? Where you have the ability to post anonymously? Where you can get referrals, and where you can just authentically network with other professionals? Is that too much to ask?
[
Well, it's not because as I found out, that's exactly what Fishbowl provides. They also have free live audio talks and Q&A's with industry experts. I know this because I do live talks about storytelling and podcasting on the app. if you're interested in hearing those, Cori and I will be announcing my upcoming dates on this podcast in the future. Fishbowl is available for both iPhone and Android, so search your app store and download the free app today.
7 Minute Stories is created and performed by Aaron Calafato. Audio production by Ken Wendt. You can connect with Ken or inquire about his audio production services at media216.com. Original artwork by Pete Whitehead. Find out more about Pete's work at petewhitehead.com. Our creative consultant is Anthony Vorndran, and Lennon Janavak is our production assistant. Special thanks to our partners at Evergreen Podcast. Lastly, I'm Cori Birce. Make sure and tune in next week for another story.
