8 Signs You Have Inadvertently Joined a Cult
And why it might not necessarily be a bad thing
Recently I took part in a bike race that took place in the dessert. As I was pedaling up and down the hills, sweating, struggling, and eating dirt I had an epiphany.
Why am I doing this?
Let’s get this straight. I love cycling and no one forces me to do it. I need no brainwashing, cajoling, or selling when it comes to the two-wheel mania. It helps me grow mentally and physically — and overall it’s great fun.
In addition, this sport forces the participant to learn new skills to survive in the wild: mechanics, technique, endurance, nutrition, stamina, and navigation. Moreover, there is the lingo: the secret code no outsider would ever use let alone comprehend. If you don’t know words like tubeless, spd, hardtail, or berm worry not, you have not been abducted …yet.
For an outsider, biking (or any other cult-like pursuit) seems foreign, weird, and even stupid. Why would anyone pedal through hard terrain for hours, spend a fortune on gear, risk injuries, and breakdowns, and get lost more times than you care to admit?
You gotta be mentally challenged to do this, right?
For the non-initiated, any fringe activity that uses obscure language, strange rituals, and hard-to-acquire skills is just so out of reach that the mere suggestion to join the club would trigger instant and automatic rejection.
But that’s not all, there is more…
Just in case this wasn’t nerdy enough, I have also pursued other hobbies namely Bitcoin and jazz music.
For those 3 activities, I have gone through the same process — the training, the technique, the jargon, and the self-imposed brainwashing that comes with it. This is no joke, these disciplines require hundreds if not thousands of hours to acquire the mere basics. There is no room for shortcuts, excuses, or procrastination.
Why on earth would anyone spend all that energy, time, and money on the pursuit of something they’d never be able to master when they could just watch TV and drink beer like everybody else?
Because we have no choice.
Some people are spectators through life and are happy taking a seat back and letting things happen from the comfort of the sofa. Others are more action-oriented and need the thrill of participation rather than staying behind the scenes. You could just listen to jazz and enjoy it, or go a step further and emulate Coltrane’s music (badly). The challenge of growing mentally and physically and the satisfaction of moving the needle a bit in the right direction provide the thrill and the motivation to keep going.
Yes, I understand the futility of it all, I know that one day I’ll stop biking, playing, and learning, all will be gone and forgotten. All that time and energy will melt into oblivion like tears in the rain. But then again, what is the alternative? To become a vegetable? To live a comfy life? To take the easy road? Is that going to make my life better, easier, more convenient? I doubt it.
Despite the differences, there are many similarities between the pursuit of any discipline whether it’s chess, Chinese, or tango. We all go through a similar process of trial and error and end up transformed by the very subject we try to master. We go so deep into it that from the outside it might be perceived as foreign, weird, and opaque as a cult even though is not. In fact, those who accuse others of cult-like behavior could unbeknownst be the ones brainwashed by the status quo.
Cult or not, here are some of the parallelisms that can be found among the participants of any life pursuit, and how the same activity you are trying to perfect can end up transforming your life.
1. It’s Never What You Expect
When you join a new trade, you come with preconceived ideas, unrealistic expectations, and gross miscalculations.
When I first started cycling I thought my old cheap bike would do the job. I also thought there was no need to become a MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra) and no extensive training was required since I was already fit.
Well oh well, needless to say, I was way wrong. Not only do I own 2 expensive carbon fiber bikes, 20 lycra outfits, and train 300 hours a year, but also I feel I’m not committed enough when compared to my peers.
The same thing happened to me with Bitcoin. My original goal was to read a bit about it and if it made sense invest and forget. Thousands of hours later, I still feel like an impostor who hasn’t grasped the basics yet.
When you pursue something with passion, you start seeing things no one else sees and this changes your perspective. Any area of expertise is a deep rabbit hole that brings you to a place of constant discovery until your former self gets irreversibly transformed. That’s the whole point.
2. Brainwashing
To become good at anything a huge amount of self-belief is necessary. For this, narrative is crucial to counteract the indoctrination we have suffered since childhood. We have been told how to think from an early age. School, tv, and the state are just propaganda machines designed to instill certain mindsets so that we become useful soldiers for society.
This indoctrination works well for the average Joe but it might not work for you. When you go to the army, school, office, or church the goal is clear: to produce an efficient and obedient cog in the machine so time and energy can be extracted from you throughout life.
If you try to escape the matrix, you have to reeducate yourself, indoctrinate your brain, and challenge what was planted there to lead a better life. For this, joining a cult (so to speak) is essential unless you are one of those rare self-made people who don’t need external support.
Brainwashing is good when you choose the right path and not so great when it’s imposed upon you. We’ve all been through it, the difference is that most don’t even realize it.
3. Competition
Within the group, there is always a level of healthy competition. You learn a lot from each other and know your place in the pecking order but you get constantly challenged by those immediately below and get motivated by those above you. There is an aspect of gamification here, if I can push this a bit harder I might beat that guy. Nothing wrong with that, whatever works.
When I started cycling I was beaten by everyone on any terrain — climbing, sand, downhill, tarmac — now I can pull my weight almost everywhere without too much struggle.
It’s quite remarkable how challenges that seemed insurmountable only a few months back are now a stroll in the park. Thank you mates for teasing me about my shortcomings.
4. Camaraderie
When you speak the common lingo everything becomes easier. I can meet a cyclist, a Bitcoiner, or a musician from any background or nationality and we instantly connect. We see each other in the eye, we’ve been through the same shit. We’ve fallen and got back up, dusted ourselves off, and carried on with the task. We are experienced.
After a multiple-stage race with hundreds of fellow bikers, we lick our wounds in the bar while reminiscing about the adventure. If you have not paid the price upfront you wouldn’t understand. It takes a lot to get there but the bonding it creates is quite remarkable.
After the event finishes, you go home with your family, your friends, and your dog. Everything is great but you miss the connection with your fellow panthers, you long for the people who get you and understand you with no words.
Outside the bubble everything is different, it takes forever to find a soulmate, and you have to keep explaining basic things that no one understands anyway. Everything thinks you are weird but they are the weirdos. After a while, you start doubting yourself and second-guessing your dogma. Everyone is in a cult but they don’t know it yet, it’s called normality. You don’t want to be fucking normal, that’s a cop-out, that’s the easy way. You didn’t come this far to quit now. Withdraw from the masses and keep working on your mission. The obstacle is the way.
5. Mentors
In these groups, there is always a mentor, a leader, and a God to admire. These are generally ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary results, people who have dedicated their entire lives to the pursuit of excellence, and now they tell you their story. You use these masters as fuel, as inspiration to become better, to strive for more, and as a platform to reach the next level. No cult is complete without a high priest. For me, the reverence goes towards Nakamoto, Coltrane, Indurain, and some other glories. They did the work, they achieved fame and now they are spreading the word.
6. Proof Of Work
None of these pursuits are easy, to be able to call yourself a member you have to put in the hours. It takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and effort to get there and without that, you are just a dilettante. You respect and connect with the people who have done the work, who have struggled, and who have failed and tried again and again.
There are no shortcuts, no easy way out, and no free lunch. You either pay the price or you don’t belong here. No freeloader is welcome.
7. Humility
When you are in your local group, you are the biker, the Bitcoiner, or the saxman. When you join a larger group you become an extra cog in the machine. Great as it is to be part of a larger community and learn from all of them, you must be prepared for ego bashing. While you are near the top at the local level, at higher altitudes you become insignificant. For this, you need to train in humility and acknowledge that there is always someone better than you.
If you are pursuing a discipline for the wrong reasons this will make you quit. You are not here to be the best, you are here to learn.
8. Ethics
In general, people who have strong work ethics seem to be well-rounded overall. The fact that you ask and offer help constantly develops a moral compass that cascades down into other areas of life.
In all these cults the sense of community is strong and that means going out of your way to help those in need.
I’ve not come across cheaters or morally dubious people in any of the communities I have joined. I would trust any of them with my life (literally) even if we’ve never met before.
When you are committed to a cause you understand the importance of trust. Those who don’t get this get weeded out very quickly, only the honest stay.
I don’t think is possible to fake your way out through thousands of hours of hard work. The filter always works.
Conclusion
I hope I didn’t discourage you from pursuing your goal. The road is long, challenging, and frail with perils. The finish line is far away and you might never even get there. But as they say, it is the journey, not the destination that matters. In the effort and the struggle you will find yourself and this is always worth it.
An easy life is not worth living, find your mission and put all you’ve got into it. You will never regret having become a better version of yourself as a side effect. You can’t be a bad person after all you’ve been through. No weak, lazy, immoral person makes it through the filter. It takes a lot to become excellent and what you leave behind is the debris.
Whether you take up chess, coding, or line dancing this pursuit will change you beyond recognition. You will become a new person and a better one for that matter. Don’t be put off by the struggle since the effort is the price and the prize. Whether I’m climbing a vertical mountain, trying to learn the intricacies of the mempool, or struggling to perfect a new tune, I know I’m in the right place making the most of my time on earth and improving myself in the process.
Some will point their fingers, make fun, and release sarcastic remarks. Meanwhile, I carry on with my mission feeling sorry for them They might think they are not in a cult but little do they know.
The cult of the normies is so powerful and so well structured that they don’t even realize they’ve been abducted.
Break the chains of indoctrination and you will find freedom. Follow your heart, pursue your mission, and play your symphony. This is what life is all about.
Become who you were meant to be. Now.
All the best
