Don’t drink the Kool-Aid
In 1978 Jim Jones, ordered his followers in Jonestown, Guyana to commit suicide by drinking grape-flavored Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide. 913 of the 1100 Jonestown residents drank the Kool-Aid and died.
Don’t drink the Kool-Aid has become a popular way of referring to the phenomenon of falling under the spell of a group dynamic. That phenomenon has been extensively studied by social scientists. The saying is also used to describe the phenomenon of falling under the spell of a charismatic person. This could be a political, religious, or even scientific group or a leader. Once one has fallen under the spell of the group or the leader one is likely to shut off the value which leads to the logical or even common sense part of brain. Falling in love can be an example of this phenomenon. When one falls in love – that limerick stage of the relationship – one does not see all the “fake news” news which one is absorbing. The person who may be very emotionally, spiritually and mentally ill is “wondaful, wise, kind, a victim, the perfect potential partner, the sexiest…. Later one might be shocked to find out the motives of that person had nothing to do with your needs or health. One may then wonder how one could have been so blind and stupid. The facts were “as plain as day”.
The same thing often happens with a religious or political leader. When one finds out that they are an ordinary, sometimes ill human one is shocked and may resist believing a many volume report on the truth of their behavior.
For this reason currently it can be very difficult in the United States and many other countries to have a respectful, logical discussion about certain political or religious subjects.
All of us need to come to terms with the fact that we too could be vulnerable to “drinking the Kool-Aid”. In order to minimize this possibility we need to:
Those individuals who are using a 12 step program to recover from active addiction will be told to not take any action before checking in with their sponsor or other healthy members of their ‘we’. Their “Kool-Aid” has been their addicted brain which will often tell them to seek out their drug of choice (alcohol, other drugs, sex, money, power, or things) to celebrate, avoid sadness, or to side step any uncomfortable feeling.
If any of us do not have such a healthy group of friends and colleagues we should be prepared to write out a check the next time someone offers to sell us the Brooklyn Bridge.
Written November 25, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
In 1978 Jim Jones, ordered his followers in Jonestown, Guyana to commit suicide by drinking grape-flavored Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide. 913 of the 1100 Jonestown residents drank the Kool-Aid and died.
Don’t drink the Kool-Aid has become a popular way of referring to the phenomenon of falling under the spell of a group dynamic. That phenomenon has been extensively studied by social scientists. The saying is also used to describe the phenomenon of falling under the spell of a charismatic person. This could be a political, religious, or even scientific group or a leader. Once one has fallen under the spell of the group or the leader one is likely to shut off the value which leads to the logical or even common sense part of brain. Falling in love can be an example of this phenomenon. When one falls in love – that limerick stage of the relationship – one does not see all the “fake news” news which one is absorbing. The person who may be very emotionally, spiritually and mentally ill is “wondaful, wise, kind, a victim, the perfect potential partner, the sexiest…. Later one might be shocked to find out the motives of that person had nothing to do with your needs or health. One may then wonder how one could have been so blind and stupid. The facts were “as plain as day”.
The same thing often happens with a religious or political leader. When one finds out that they are an ordinary, sometimes ill human one is shocked and may resist believing a many volume report on the truth of their behavior.
For this reason currently it can be very difficult in the United States and many other countries to have a respectful, logical discussion about certain political or religious subjects.
All of us need to come to terms with the fact that we too could be vulnerable to “drinking the Kool-Aid”. In order to minimize this possibility we need to:
- Have a healthy group of friends and colleagues will let us know when they detect pre Kool-Aid drinking symptoms.
- An a priori decision to listen to and follow the advice of his group of friends and colleagues.
Those individuals who are using a 12 step program to recover from active addiction will be told to not take any action before checking in with their sponsor or other healthy members of their ‘we’. Their “Kool-Aid” has been their addicted brain which will often tell them to seek out their drug of choice (alcohol, other drugs, sex, money, power, or things) to celebrate, avoid sadness, or to side step any uncomfortable feeling.
If any of us do not have such a healthy group of friends and colleagues we should be prepared to write out a check the next time someone offers to sell us the Brooklyn Bridge.
Written November 25, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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