I once dated someone who was a member of an ongoing, intensive support group, and I spent the first half of our relationship trying to persuade her that it was a cult. “You don’t need the group in order to be healthy!” I would tell her, “You don’t need them! Just look at me: I’m… Continue reading Cults, culture, and charismatic leaders
Tag: elitism
An unlikely union
My whole life I’ve been distrustful of doctors. I don’t know what it is. The coldness of the waiting room, the feeling of paranoia amongst the people waiting. The feeling of being analyzed when seen by the doctor, as though the exchange is a one-way street. In me, the childhood fear of needles has never… Continue reading An unlikely union
The authentic self and the illusion of the academy
While living in Colorado Springs between 2015 and -16, I wrote a novel on power, alienation, and education. I never gave it a title, but the work describes a high-powered Academy where children are taken away from their families, then trained in a series of exercises that culminate in the ability to “Produce,” meaning manifest… Continue reading The authentic self and the illusion of the academy