Citris on Human Nature

  What is cult mind control and why should we be concerned about it? A cult is a group of people with extreme dedication to a leader or set of beliefs. There are the more obvious cults like the Moonies and the Hare Krishnas.   You may think that you would never fall for something that silly. But there are many cults that appear as conventional religious, therapeutic, business, or philanthropic groups. Many of them use covert manipulation to gain recruits and control their members.   If you aren’t aware of this, you are vulnerable. How does cult mind control work? The purpose of cult mind control is to get you to drop your reliance on your own judgement and depend on the doctrines of the cult or the authority of its leader. This is done in order to make you a tool for the cult’s use.   Cults try to manipulate you in many ways. For example, by bombarding you with loving attention, by playing on your idealism, your fears, your pride, or your greed. All the whil...

  When we were students we were given reading assignments. We may have had to read books, novels, plays, poetry, or nonfiction. Then we were had to demonstrate that we understood what we had read by composing papers or taking tests. I remember when I went to college the amount of reading I was assigned seemed overwhelming.   Taking final exams and then getting a break from study was a great relief. Is it any wonder that after college I just wanted to put it all down and get on with life? And Is it any wonder that after graduation most of us put our old books in boxes and never look at them again? Which is sad because having a personal intellectual life is one of the most important and enjoyable things we can do. To gain new understanding and insight is thru active application of our minds one of the best things that can happen to us. Our view of the world changes for the better. And that advance in our understanding stays with us for the rest of our lives. Today I wan...

  When we want to communicate with others what are we trying to do? W e want people to listen to us, agree with us , or d o something. It can be challenging. What is clear and important to us o ur listeners often don’t understand or care about.   Why is this?   Different people care about different things. The first principle of good communication is understanding what your listener cares about. Then you can tailor your communication to them by choosing the appropriate communication style.   Communication styles can be broken down to four types: ·          The Direct Style or the no non-sense style. ·          The Initiating Style or let’s be friends style. ·          The Analytical Style or the let’s be logical style. ·          The Supportive Style or the let’s be allies style.  Each ...