Defining Cults - Who Joins Cults? - The "Not Me" Myth
The average person looks down on those who get involved in cults, get taken in a scam by some operator who bilks people, or remain in an abusive group or relationship for long periods. That only happens to weak and silly people, the person boasts, generating for herself or himself a category called "not me" in which to place the victim of cults, scams, and intense influence. There is an almost universal aversion to accepting the idea that we ourselves are vulnerable to persuasion. I have heard this from journalists, college professors, neighbors, passengers seated enxt to me on a plane, poeple I tlak with in the street, graduate students, gardeners, salesclerks. Neither education, age, nor social class protects a person from this false sense of invulnerability.
Severaly years ago when I was lecturing in Switzerland, a Swiss psychiatrist opened the program by saying: "We have such an educated, close-knit, middle-class society, we have no cults here. Cults will never get an inroad in this country." I then provided literature containing the street addresses of various large, internationally known cults, as well as many small ones, operating in Zurich and other Swiss cities. Few, if any, countries in the world are without cults.
Sayfa 16
4. Earth and Sky
“Lunch time, mateys. Let’s see what Aunty Jayne packed for us.”
Gentle waves lap up to the boat as we dig into the basket.
“Ah, there’s a cold beer in here,” he says. “Must be for you, Zain.”
Zain giggles.
“No? You want it, Shayda?”
The kids giggle even louder.
“Mum doesn’t drink, silly,” says Natasha.
“Natasha!” Since when does she act so familiar around strangers?
“It’s okay mum. Troy’s cool,” she replies.
“Yeah, mum. I’m cool.” He pulls the tab.
Sayfa 31 - d ü ş t ü m
"The Painted Veil(2006)" filminden
''It was silly of us to look for qualities in each other that we never had.''
author's note ("
Lastly, to anyone who decides to take time out of their day to create something for someone else… What you do matters. Even if it's silly memes or videos or dances or jokes, or pictures of books with reviews. Even if you don’t see a dime from it, just know that it likely brightened someone’s day.
Big Trip to Europe
After that I climbed inland and reached a mountain overlooking all Tangier Bay and came to a quiet shepherd slope, ah the honk of asses and maaaa of sheep up there rejoicing in Vales, and the silly happy trills of crazybirds goofing in the solitude of rocks and brush swept by sun heat swept by sea wind, and all the warm ululations shimmering.
Sayfa 124 - Penguin Great KerouacKitabı okudu
"You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they are still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't."
Sayfa 230Kitabı okudu