#44. The Cult Mentality

It was winter of 2007.  I had an eventful year, and had seemed to accomplish the impossible in saving my social world as I knew it after coming out with an impossible, yet identity defining talent.  My social circle had the proof they needed, and it seemed I could settle back into my life like business as usual.  I was wrong.  My co-researcher, Jake, had cultivated more hype among the crowd than I was comfortable with.  My main friends and I were in our mid 20s, but there was a large number of younger people attaching to our group.  Jake and I disagreed on what should be done with the data and that I should go on using it after I was finished with my quest for proof, and it seemed he was trying to gather potential students.  The fact was, Jake had a habit of abusing power to the fullest.  Our crowd, which was bigger than ever, now consisted of around 30 people.  Too many of the younger ones seemed way too excited upon seeing my process in action, and I got the feeling something cult-like was forming under my nose.  One referred to me as a “god,” another brought up the possibility of some connection to the second coming.  These are dangerous words.  I think they’re as ridiculous as anybody else should.  I can’t accept these labels as long as I know that everyone is capable of the same things I can do.  That gaming center became an environment my ego was not ready to handle at the time, and I recognized the then-current situation as dangerous.  After all that effort, I still had to disappear. The Cult-Mentality is something that can happen just from doing something amazing and walking away. It doesn’t always form in front of you, you just show up one day and suddenly there’s this group asking you weird questions. Watch out for that.