A good friend of mine was at a bit of a low point in his life, and was befriended by a couple of people in London one day, and drawn into their community... and it was a while before he realized they were Scientologists and what was happening to him. Luckily, he was able to extricate himself before things got too serious, but I remember thinking "Wow, if it can happen to a smart, independent achiever like him..."
I've never felt much need for a "community" or to "belong" but I look around and the world right now is about as depressing a place as I can ever remember (I'm nearly 62), and I've several friends fall down the right-wing and/or conspiracy theory rabbit holes, and I can see how they feel comforted by the communities they find there. It's scary.
A good friend of mine was at a bit of a low point in his life, and was befriended by a couple of people in London one day, and drawn into their community... and it was a while before he realized they were Scientologists and what was happening to him. Luckily, he was able to extricate himself before things got too serious, but I remember thinking "Wow, if it can happen to a smart, independent achiever like him..."
I've never felt much need for a "community" or to "belong" but I look around and the world right now is about as depressing a place as I can ever remember (I'm nearly 62), and I've several friends fall down the right-wing and/or conspiracy theory rabbit holes, and I can see how they feel comforted by the communities they find there. It's scary.