By Leah E. Reinhart
What Is a Cult of Personality?
A cult of personality is a hot topic these days. Most people think it’s a bad to have a cult of personality, but not necessarily. I know when I hear the phrase, I tend to think of a self-proclaimed prophet or cult leader. I’m sure it comes from my religious background and being exposed to cults back in the 70’s and 80’s, the most notorious, Jim Jones. Basically the definition of cult of personality is according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, A cult of personality is a situation in which a public figure, such as a political leader, is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved. Most of us will associate a leader like Hitler or Stalin or Mussolini or any dictator with this definition provided in this blog.
The thing about dictators is they lead through fear. They say the best way to get people to follow you is to present a problem and pit you against the people so-called creating the problem. You know how the story goes; one group is taking all the jobs, committing crimes, taking your benefits, etc. This is nothing new and has been going on for centuries. The common denominator is you are being led by only one of two emotions, fear or love. Let’s face it, those dictators used fear tactics to commit egregious crimes against humanity all to gain power and money.
Is Cult of Personality Ever Good?
But what if we flipped the narrative? If we know political leaders, or say influencers, are presented to the public as one to follow, why couldn’t we create positive cult of personality? There have been positive leaders. Gandhi led through peace and non-violence to get his point across and make change for his country. Oprah has a huge following of people that are searching for ways to empower themselves through love and abundance. Michelle Obama is inspiring. Deepak Chopra does wonders with spiritual awakenings, Lewis Howes talks with guests for a life full of greatness. Fear isn’t a part of this equation. Believe it or not the world really isn’t that bad of a place.
We’re At a Turning Point
We are at a turning point where the choice we make will have an impact on our lives. Social media has reached an all-time high where shocking news, conspiracies, and controversial topics get the most clicks, views, and interactions, making the content creator of those channels lots of money. I recently was listening to my favorite podcast, Lewis Howes’s “The School of Greatness” and the guest he interviewed was someone I had previously liked PBD.
I heard many of PBD’s earlier interviews and liked them, that I had subscribed to his YouTube channel. As time went on, PBD had a Sandy Hook denier on his channel and I thought, WTH?! Why would any reputable person have this moron on a YouTube for entrepreneurs? The answer was simple and PBD said it on Lewis’s podcast, his channel exploded with this type of content. I must add this was the only episode that I had anything negative to say.
Current Cult of Personality
It’s been said that there are two basic emotions, fear and love. Everything else stems from these two emotions. Unfortunately in this day fear, negativity, controversy, conspiracies, are what makes more money for YouTubers or Podcasters. When we hear it enough, those ideals can become beliefs. After all, beliefs are not necessarily facts. But we have control over our minds and what we feed them. Your body will let you know whether you are being led by fear or love.
If your body tenses up after listening or reading content, then you know fear is directing you. If you need to smoke, get stoned, drunk, eat sugar, or take a nap after consuming content, fear is guiding you. Fear is the root of jealousy, anger, resentment, inferior complex, superior complex, scarcity, hurt, scared. etc.
If you body feels relaxed after listening or reading content, then you know love is directing you. If you feel like doing yard work, exercising, going for a walk, making plans with loved ones, love is guiding you. Love is the root of an abundance mindset, helping others, excited for life, happy, motivated, creative, confidence, etc.
In Conclusion
A cult of personality is even easier to create and easy to spot. Social media has created more cult leaders in our need to have attention and be seen. Be proactive in your life. If you were coerced or inclined to to join a cult, listen to your body and let it make the decision. With AI advancing quickly and tons of information (real or false) online, you will need to to rely on your critical thinking skills and intuition more than ever. Is the information you’re consuming make you feel tense and angry or helpless, or happy and light and empowered? The feeling is your answer to whether you should listen to that sort of information or follow that cult of personality.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
