The Sadness that Was Jonestown

On November the 18th, 1978 in a small town in South America, a mass (over 900 people in all) suicide occurred. It was a very sad day for humanity, and a clear example of how 'group think' corrals, and can destroy, all those which come across its path.

How can this large of a group be led into such an act of desperation? Jim Jones, who was a master manipulator, and the leader of the Jonestown suicide, painted suicide as a golden option to salvation. Many people who disagreed, and who were not in favor of the suicide, did their best to question Jone's rational. But in the end, the group consciousness (or unconsciousness, in this case) overruled all individual opinions, and the Jonestown suicide (which including around 350 children) took full effect.

It is these sorts of events that remind us of the fragility of the follower. There are many of us within this world, who know no better path than that of a devote student or disciple. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to spread awareness. We cannot allow another catastrophe like this, which was not managed by the government with a firm hand, to take place.

We must take full responsibility as individuals, to recognize when we have dug ourselves into a questionable position, and then to learn and educate ourselves based off of the defining experiences we had. There is no shame when one realizes futility, and decides to make the commitment to personal development, instead of lingering on a path of despair. It is encouraging, however, when people do learn from their life's experiences, and move on towards the next ones.

This cycle of life provides optimism for our future. If we learn from these events, which continually remind us of the horrors of the past, we will never repeat such acts. We will be able to more clearly recognize impostors, those who are interested in power and manipulation, and disassociate with their various, yet creative, practices of fallacy.