I have been reading quite a bit lately on mind-coercion and brainwash.  There are some very interesting articles on the net about this.  One fact that stuck out in my mind, is that almost everyone, when being influenced, makes decisions on emotions instead of logic.  That makes perfect sense if you think about it.  How else could dictators or cult-leaders convince the masses of their ideology being true?  It’s all about charisma; and if you think about it, that’s a pretty scary thought.

So, how can one be so easily influenced?  How can someone, just like me or you convince an enormous mass of people to follow them?  What separates them?  Well, that’s what I’ve been reading about a lot today.  It comes down to sales tactics.  It’s the same principle that car salesmen use.  Convince someone that they need something (from a car salesman point-of-view, a car) throw in some comforting words, and bam.  It’s not that different with cults.  From what I gather, these cults start by stripping away built-in instincts and values that we grow up with, and start with a clean slate.  Then, they start using the simplest building blocks, laying a foundation.  If you think about it, we read people’s minds every day, in an attempt to persuade or get what we want.  You may not even realize you’re doing it, but you are.  Day by day, you feel out people’s moods to see if they’ll give you what you want, even if it’s something as simple as getting your spouse or parent to cook you something, all the way to convincing your spouse you need a new vehicle.

I read another interesting article about persuasion using twisted logic.  A method I’d never really thought of before, but am guilty of doing.  Think about it.  How many times have you told a story and left out some of the points that alter the story?  Maybe I’m just weird, but I know I am guilty of it.  That’s a form of persuasion.  In a way, we’re manipulating.  But, as humans we use justification to eliminate the feeling of guilt.  A little off topic, but personally I believe justification is the sole cause of any major crime or action.  People begin justifying how they  can steal, rape, murder, etc… and it becomes easier and easier.  It’s scary to think that our minds and bodies, when broken down, aren’t different from some of the worst people in history.  But, on the flip side, we aren’t that different from some of the great minds either.  I like to believe that everyone has potential to be something great, and I do believe that.