Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Anyone here watch Wild, Wild Country on Netflix? Fascinating. Then there’s this blogpost from Medium.

I think I'm afraid to watch it. The medium post makes me feel like I've led a sheltered life.

I was very impressed by that series. It struck me as remarkably evenhanded in its treatment of the different perspectives involved in the conflict.

matthew sexton wrote: I think I'm afraid to watch it. The medium post makes me feel like I've led a sheltered life.

Nothing to be afraid of. It really is a compelling story. Shows why it’s necessary to have one’s morality trip together in spiritual work, if nothing else.

Yes I've been watching it in bits. Between this and Going Clear and fiction series like The Path and The Arrangement, it's amazing to see how humans - "awakened" or not - tend to fall into the same kinds of traps, whatever their doctrinal flavor. Resonates with many experiences I've had with spiritual groups over the decades. Structure determines behavior and cult-like structures can't help but lead to cult-like behaviors.

One thing I’m interested in understanding better is how/why certain people have the ability to draw other people to them in such powerful ways. I know, it’s called charisma, but what exactly is it? The guy isn’t even a decent person in my books—for example, accused Sheela of just being angry because she wouldn’t sleep with him, an old standby for certain kinds of men. None of his attraction came across onscreen.

I know some perfectly awful people have this quality, and am inclined to be suspicious of it, but maybe it is capable also of doing good?

Laurel Carrington wrote:
I know some perfectly awful people have this quality, and am inclined to be suspicious of it, but maybe it is capable also of doing good?

Yes, the guru promises "the dream will come true... eventually" and people are willing to go through a lot of shit believing that their dream will come true eventually. Lots of different gurus selling lots of different "dream...eventually" scenarios, not just spirituality...

There's a definite codependency that goes on. People with self-esteem issues, daddy/mommy issues, life crises, PTSD, etc. are vulnerable and often eager participants in their exploitation. Worshiping charismatic figures who grab all the marbles for their own ends is prevalent in our economic (Jobs, Zuckerberg, Koch brothers, etc.), political (Trump, Hillary, pick your demon or siren hehe), and popular (sports and entertainment figures) culture. "Use me lest I rot" (Kazantzakis) can so easily be diverted to personal gain on the part of leaders. Fracking of the support and membership base is remarkably common in groups that profess environmental sustainability. Knowing this can help students and teachers try to avoid such pitfalls. But I concur with Frank Herbert's take on power over others: “Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.”

SO true. The list is ... well 0.01% of the population, or perhaps the 65 who own half the world's wealth? But I digress.