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Spartacus
Who wants to be in a cult in the first place? Who would want to be a cult leader? No one in their right mind! SGcult standard procedure is to make leadership appointments for members without asking first, in order to "hook" them into their cult trap. The new member suddenly finds themselves appointed to be a "group chief" or some such, without having ever asked for a position. When they comply to the extreme expectations to behave and perform in a highly defined manner by the cult, they are further pressured to begin receiving leadership "training". This Cult Indoctrination fosters the desire to please leaders and to forever "do more" for KR and Cult Daddy, while providing little treats to the animals for performing their tricks correctly. Slowly, the member is conditioned into the properly controlled mindset of delusion until they are ready to be easily trained and fast-tracked into becoming a heartless, robotic, self-centered jerkoff senior leader. Becoming a "ridiculously empowered elite" can be very tempting to an immature young man or woman. After enough years of proving to HQ what a souless shell of a person you can be for free, you might get a shot at a paid position. I know this is true, because I was naive enough to let it happened to me. That is until I opened my eyes, threw off the shackles of my oppressors, and refused to be a slave no more!
Spartacus
Well, of course the key point is, "
No one in their right mind!" If they were in their right mind they wouldn't be there in the first place. The same applies to all of us when we were in it.
I touched on this a bit in an earlier post:
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dragon14
I've got to think that people who have become employees of the SGI started out as the same kinds of "believers" as the rest of us. What happens: do they get "turned" when offered a salary and possibly another piece of the action? Is it made *that* clear that there's a scam going on that they can profit from? Did anyone who is on the payroll start as a crook from the get-go?
In the case that I know, they prey on the most innocent, naive, sincere, vulnerable and most "obeying" believers. The more you do their bidding, the more you are gradually reeled in. Eventually, the delusion of power and reward (money, "leader" fringe benefits, paid trips domestically and International - Japan, members fawning over you, and the role of being the big cheese or big fish in a small pond) is a vicious cycle. Eventually, your delusion grows and feeds on itself. It's just a different level of manipulation that has become all consuming. It's also a good ol' boys club and you have to learn and deal with the inevitable machinations that accompany. I suspect it is also a "need to know" system, where you are only privy to things that you need to know to carry out your assigned functions/goals. Screw it up, misstep, or piss on the wrong person and you'll find yourself getting sh** assignments or sitting in a corner windowless room for the rest of your cult career (look at Williams). Be a good, non-thinking robot sheep and do everything that is expected of you well, and be rewarded with more of the same deceptively satisfying manipulation that keeps feeding your delusion - keeping you and the cult organization
both happy.
In my case, I didn't ask, wasn't looking for, and I definitely didn't want the regional YD position that I was literally
pushed into. In fact, this is probably one of the biggest reasons I gave it back, because I don't like to be forced into things and manipulated (which was exactly how I viewed it even then).
As mentioned, in the case that I have personal firsthand knowledge about, the individual is a salaried leader and they did indeed
want the position. I can add two additional (critical) points to this as well:
1. The person went ape-sh** crazy in their "practice" after a pivotal life event happened to them. That was the trigger and I suspect that is probably the case with many others to some degree.
2. In talking to this person, I can tell you that there just isn't something "normal" about their mind and the look in their eyes. Their psyche has been altered, and I don't mean in a good way either. Their adopted arrogance conceals an inner insecurity and they have bought into a deep delusion that allows them to cope in their own life.
In short, they are indeed "a heartless, robotic, self-centered jerkoff senior leader." They of course don't see themselves this way, but they are.
There are posters coming and going from this thread all the time who don't think the gakkai is a "cult." Nobody in a cult is ever going to admit that that is what it is - and stay in.
There are indeed people who
want to be senior salaried leaders, because I know one who did, and is. I saw the whole process from beginning to present day and I think it is very sad and unfortunate. They of course feel exactly the opposite - very happy and fortunate.
As you stated, they are genuinely "not in their right mind."