Years ago I had a female friend very seriously propose to me that she and I could start a cult. Understand that she herself came out of a cult and had been raised in a very religious background. She needed that purpose and because she considered me wise because I generally see through peoples BS and had a broad range of religious knowledge I was an obvious leader.
As far as I know she may still consider herself to be a disciple or something. I didn't form a cult because I had by that point in my life developed a personal code that being a guru would conflict with
I have had similar discussions with people. It's interesting how many people find comfort in structure of a cult, but want to select the cult leader that they think that they can trust.
Wow Athena you really hit this one out of the ballpark bc you really covered all points in this piece! I am BPD with some ASPD overlap and I basically was left to literally fend for myself on my own at a very young age, I started working at the age of 14 paying rent and stuff and such. I began running with gangs and and doing stupid stuff at first, you covered family and tribalism right? Later I became I born again Christian and that also fell flat like you said, being a follower in these things eventually felt empty especially if a dared to question whoever was 'in power'. And I did that a lot and that ephemeral feeling of 'belonging' didn't last. Later, I attempted to get clean and sober through recovery groups and that also fell flat bc there always seems to be this group mentality and it all felt cultish in the end and cliquey. On some level, I knew it to be true. Of course that doesn't mitigate my PD's either, so I opted to untangle all my life's madness through therapy. I needed to turn inward, get honest get real, stop all the impulsivity and negativity, and take personal responsibility. That's not to say I didn't learn some positive things in joining these groups I definitely did. So I chose not to throw the baby out with the bath water, I took the good but left all the other absurd rules of conduct and ideology behind; it left me feeling so empty and suspicious of people in groups and my pathology just got worse.
I've been out of that lifestyle and clean now since 2008 and frankly shocked that I am alive. There are some residual issues I'm working on but I am grateful to use logical cognition instead of all that messy dysregulated 'anger-ball' of a human I was. And I am super grateful that you write and share from such an honest place, so I thank you! I recently heard an expression about people who are cluster b that hit hard, "the day is long but life is short"..... So true. 💯❤
Very interesting ! I notice in the UK we have a big pub and drinking culture, I think in a lot of ways the pub is serving as a means of finding purpose in lieu of other (more healthy) means of meeting ones social needs. On the surface it's a space for people to socialise, have fun, unwind and release some tension from the hard work week. However, what I actually notice that this routine very often this leads to alcoholism and (especially with men in their 20s and 30s) drug use, eventually to misery, financial issues, gambling, relationship issues. So what starts out as a place for comradery, fun and a sense of belonging ends up causing significant issues for those individuals. I dropped out of this culture when I found it problimatic and have found purpose in other more healthy communities, gym, long distance running, for example. I got a lot of resentment and push back from those still very much into the pub culture but I do not care as it does not serve me.
Fellow Brit and yes I agree the pub culture is part of British society. On the one hand I think the village pub can be a really worthwhile part of a local community. Local people get to know each other and neighbours interact over a beer so it is a means of building a sense of community in rural areas. City bars and pubs are different in that they are far more transient.
There is the downside to pub culture though, definitely and that’s the unhealthy part. I agree with you, sports is an excellent way to find purpose outside of work and family. There’s a developmental aspect, a sense of accomplishment no matter how fit or unfit and, in the right gym there’s a sense of community, a common goal which is really, just to get fitter than you were at the start! Again it’s finding the right gym for you, setting realistic goals that can be accomplished and the desire to find a shared success. If success is walking unaided the full length of the gym after a hip operation, there’s a real group buzz when things like that happen. I suppose a little like the young bringing food for the elderly in the tribe.
The pillars of purpose in society are crumbling and the chaos we witness in the news is a direct result of that. I’m not religious, but I understand that religion was and still is in places, a pillar that people held on to. There are a lot of isolated and very lost people in today’s world and I think this article explains very accurately why that’s the case. I fear what things will look like when so much of what we used to do ourselves becomes outsourced to AI. People will become increasingly isolated and if we aren’t concerned about that as a society, if we can’t foresee the impact of that, then we have a very big problem headed our way.
Yes, that is something I have thought about as well. I think that you are correct, there is going to need to be a great deal of effort to encourage people to seek real purpose, but I think instead there will be a great push towards disconnection from reality. If that happens, most humans will die off. People seem to think that humans not having to work, and living in a post scarcity environment is an overall good thing, but I think it is the death of civilization if we continue the direction that we are currently aimed.
Agree. Very worrying times. It’s only very recently that I’ve realised how intelligent AI has already become. Things I envisaged happening in 50 years such as the Singularity, might well happen in 5. Agree with you in terms of the disconnection from reality. Plenty of people will be very seduced by an online existence where they can be whatever they imagine themselves to be. That brings with it one set of problems. The idea of humans not needing to work brings another set. Just imagine going away on holiday / vacation and being on that holiday for the rest of your life. People might find that concept highly attractive but the reality of it is quite different I think.
Y’all give an incredible perspective that I’ve not considered. That is crazy, and creates worry in myself for the future to come. I’m in my 20s, and I hope AI doesn’t increase to the point where that is the main provider of work in my lifetime.
Do you think that government regulations would halt AI from taking over a lot of jobs? Do you think this is a perspective in which the government/corporations consider for long term sustainability for humans?
I think AI will be very difficult to regulate. In terms of jobs, corporations will likely take the most profitable option. It’s possible that AI will help secure the longevity of the human race by finding effective solutions to problems such as climate change. There will likely be breakthroughs in the fields of medicine and surgery. However, AI will also be used in warfare and the increased social isolation caused by technology to date will likely be further exacerbated. It’s possible that humanity will become far less human and that humans will ultimately be left behind.
Whether your view of AI is optimistic or pessimistic I think depends largely on your view of the world and the people in it, particularly those in the corridors of power.
Psychopaths have oxytocin. I have no idea where the myth that we don't came from, but it is incorrect. What we have is a mutated oxytocin receptor that disallows oxytocin to bind to it, so it passes through the system totally unused. It is present, but not processed.
A psychopath can never be a sociopath. They are two fundamentally different things that can never coexist. Psychopathy is born, and is a static state that makes a person trauma immune.
A sociopath is a person that may have a genetic predisposition to developing sociopathy, but the genetic link is, at this point, only theorized, not demonstrated. Sociopathy is developed in a person prior tot he age of five or six, and is the result of that person's upbringing. In other words, they have to be traumatized by extreme abuse, neglect, and/or prolonged trauma. A sociopath can never be a psychopath, a psychopath can never be a sociopath.
BTW, i came across this at Quora.comhttps://qr.ae/pypatn . I believe the writer confuses pyschopaths with malignant narcissists. His definition of psycopathy seems wrong.
Years ago I had a female friend very seriously propose to me that she and I could start a cult. Understand that she herself came out of a cult and had been raised in a very religious background. She needed that purpose and because she considered me wise because I generally see through peoples BS and had a broad range of religious knowledge I was an obvious leader.
As far as I know she may still consider herself to be a disciple or something. I didn't form a cult because I had by that point in my life developed a personal code that being a guru would conflict with
I have had similar discussions with people. It's interesting how many people find comfort in structure of a cult, but want to select the cult leader that they think that they can trust.
Aren't you glad you had a personal code already established and were true to it?!
Wow Athena you really hit this one out of the ballpark bc you really covered all points in this piece! I am BPD with some ASPD overlap and I basically was left to literally fend for myself on my own at a very young age, I started working at the age of 14 paying rent and stuff and such. I began running with gangs and and doing stupid stuff at first, you covered family and tribalism right? Later I became I born again Christian and that also fell flat like you said, being a follower in these things eventually felt empty especially if a dared to question whoever was 'in power'. And I did that a lot and that ephemeral feeling of 'belonging' didn't last. Later, I attempted to get clean and sober through recovery groups and that also fell flat bc there always seems to be this group mentality and it all felt cultish in the end and cliquey. On some level, I knew it to be true. Of course that doesn't mitigate my PD's either, so I opted to untangle all my life's madness through therapy. I needed to turn inward, get honest get real, stop all the impulsivity and negativity, and take personal responsibility. That's not to say I didn't learn some positive things in joining these groups I definitely did. So I chose not to throw the baby out with the bath water, I took the good but left all the other absurd rules of conduct and ideology behind; it left me feeling so empty and suspicious of people in groups and my pathology just got worse.
I've been out of that lifestyle and clean now since 2008 and frankly shocked that I am alive. There are some residual issues I'm working on but I am grateful to use logical cognition instead of all that messy dysregulated 'anger-ball' of a human I was. And I am super grateful that you write and share from such an honest place, so I thank you! I recently heard an expression about people who are cluster b that hit hard, "the day is long but life is short"..... So true. 💯❤
That's a great quote
Very interesting ! I notice in the UK we have a big pub and drinking culture, I think in a lot of ways the pub is serving as a means of finding purpose in lieu of other (more healthy) means of meeting ones social needs. On the surface it's a space for people to socialise, have fun, unwind and release some tension from the hard work week. However, what I actually notice that this routine very often this leads to alcoholism and (especially with men in their 20s and 30s) drug use, eventually to misery, financial issues, gambling, relationship issues. So what starts out as a place for comradery, fun and a sense of belonging ends up causing significant issues for those individuals. I dropped out of this culture when I found it problimatic and have found purpose in other more healthy communities, gym, long distance running, for example. I got a lot of resentment and push back from those still very much into the pub culture but I do not care as it does not serve me.
It sounds like you made a wise decision for yourself
Fellow Brit and yes I agree the pub culture is part of British society. On the one hand I think the village pub can be a really worthwhile part of a local community. Local people get to know each other and neighbours interact over a beer so it is a means of building a sense of community in rural areas. City bars and pubs are different in that they are far more transient.
There is the downside to pub culture though, definitely and that’s the unhealthy part. I agree with you, sports is an excellent way to find purpose outside of work and family. There’s a developmental aspect, a sense of accomplishment no matter how fit or unfit and, in the right gym there’s a sense of community, a common goal which is really, just to get fitter than you were at the start! Again it’s finding the right gym for you, setting realistic goals that can be accomplished and the desire to find a shared success. If success is walking unaided the full length of the gym after a hip operation, there’s a real group buzz when things like that happen. I suppose a little like the young bringing food for the elderly in the tribe.
The pillars of purpose in society are crumbling and the chaos we witness in the news is a direct result of that. I’m not religious, but I understand that religion was and still is in places, a pillar that people held on to. There are a lot of isolated and very lost people in today’s world and I think this article explains very accurately why that’s the case. I fear what things will look like when so much of what we used to do ourselves becomes outsourced to AI. People will become increasingly isolated and if we aren’t concerned about that as a society, if we can’t foresee the impact of that, then we have a very big problem headed our way.
Great article. Thank you.
Yes, that is something I have thought about as well. I think that you are correct, there is going to need to be a great deal of effort to encourage people to seek real purpose, but I think instead there will be a great push towards disconnection from reality. If that happens, most humans will die off. People seem to think that humans not having to work, and living in a post scarcity environment is an overall good thing, but I think it is the death of civilization if we continue the direction that we are currently aimed.
Agree. Very worrying times. It’s only very recently that I’ve realised how intelligent AI has already become. Things I envisaged happening in 50 years such as the Singularity, might well happen in 5. Agree with you in terms of the disconnection from reality. Plenty of people will be very seduced by an online existence where they can be whatever they imagine themselves to be. That brings with it one set of problems. The idea of humans not needing to work brings another set. Just imagine going away on holiday / vacation and being on that holiday for the rest of your life. People might find that concept highly attractive but the reality of it is quite different I think.
Y’all give an incredible perspective that I’ve not considered. That is crazy, and creates worry in myself for the future to come. I’m in my 20s, and I hope AI doesn’t increase to the point where that is the main provider of work in my lifetime.
Do you think that government regulations would halt AI from taking over a lot of jobs? Do you think this is a perspective in which the government/corporations consider for long term sustainability for humans?
I think AI will be very difficult to regulate. In terms of jobs, corporations will likely take the most profitable option. It’s possible that AI will help secure the longevity of the human race by finding effective solutions to problems such as climate change. There will likely be breakthroughs in the fields of medicine and surgery. However, AI will also be used in warfare and the increased social isolation caused by technology to date will likely be further exacerbated. It’s possible that humanity will become far less human and that humans will ultimately be left behind.
Whether your view of AI is optimistic or pessimistic I think depends largely on your view of the world and the people in it, particularly those in the corridors of power.
Quite true
You are so generous Athena. Crisp explanation. Crystal clear. With the proper language. Thank you. Enjoy an excellent week!l
You as well, Thomas
Dear Athena, kindly advise if these statements are valid . In case not, please explain. "Psycopathy.
Ugly etimology.
Psycopathy is caused by lacking the oxitocin hormone.
Not more than 5% of psycopaths are sociopaths.
Nope. Literally none of that is accurate.
Psychopaths have oxytocin. I have no idea where the myth that we don't came from, but it is incorrect. What we have is a mutated oxytocin receptor that disallows oxytocin to bind to it, so it passes through the system totally unused. It is present, but not processed.
A psychopath can never be a sociopath. They are two fundamentally different things that can never coexist. Psychopathy is born, and is a static state that makes a person trauma immune.
A sociopath is a person that may have a genetic predisposition to developing sociopathy, but the genetic link is, at this point, only theorized, not demonstrated. Sociopathy is developed in a person prior tot he age of five or six, and is the result of that person's upbringing. In other words, they have to be traumatized by extreme abuse, neglect, and/or prolonged trauma. A sociopath can never be a psychopath, a psychopath can never be a sociopath.
Very nice post! It's criticle how we read the aricle and associate people which we know and even ourselves! Thanks, Athena!
Thank you, Luiz
Favourite post from you so far.
Thank you, Mystery
True dear Athena.
BTW, i came across this at Quora.com https://qr.ae/pypatn . I believe the writer confuses pyschopaths with malignant narcissists. His definition of psycopathy seems wrong.