What do you think about the 'lost soul' trope'?

What do you think about the lost souls trope?

A good question opens the door to where cognition happens - and sometimes a whole lot more. It was the first time I’d been asked this at a book reading and hadn’t really considered it before. My response however, was immediate and far more emotional than I expected. I’ve come to know that where there's strong, unexpected emotion, there’s something worth exploring. 🔎

It was the last question of the evening. The quietest person in the small, but engaging audience cleared her throat and asked, “What do you think about the lost soul trope?” She then shared that someone in her home town (far away) was recruited into a cult* that had moved into her area. The town was in an uproar and two meetings were scheduled: one where the townspeople got to voice their concerns and another where the cult leadership shared their views. 

She - a teenager at the time - attended both meetings. The person who had been recruited was the father of one of her good friends. 🥹

In the second meeting, the elders spoke about how “The Family” (fake name) was dedicated to welcoming people from all walks of life - lost souls and all. 

This is where that unexpected emotion was triggered. As she spoke, my brain, now on high alert, pictured the scene. The next para is me making shit up. It may or may not have happened this way but this is what I imagined:

The small-town school auditorium was packed - a preacher’s dream. They were in the position of strength, having already heard the grievances, fears, and biases that citizens expressed at the first meeting. They already knew who the problem people would be. They had strategized into the night, planning a script that would win over the community. 

It worked. The cult stayed and the man who was recruited remains with them to this day, 15 years later. 🪤 The implication here is that her friend's father was a “lost soul" and he had finally found the spiritual and physical “Home" where he could live in peace. Who can argue with that? 

Well. 

I can. 

Because, as I blurted with passion: There’s no such thing as a lost soul. 

It’s a construct created by controllers to capture people, to disempower them while appearing to help them. I know this. I feel this in my bones because in CTL, the cult I was in for 18 years, I WAS A LOST SOUL. I was one of the members who would never make it, try as I may. I was destined to scrub the floors 🧽 - figuratively and literally - until my skin rubbed off. I prayed that this penance, this time, would finally be my key to the heavenly kingdom. 🙏🏼

After weeks of simmering (and letting my emotions settle) I’ve landed on this: Countless cultic relationships have systematically convinced a new vulnerable recruit that they are a lost soul. The recruit is reassured that their beauty, their life, their precious soul is seen (love bombing) and can be supported to heal and to blossom 🌸. If only they blah, blah, blah… 

The lost soul trope seals in the dependence, the loyalty to a system that “helped’ and “saved lives.” But what's really happening is that human beings are robbed of their personal agency, their inner authority, in a system that weaponizes vulnerability instead of supporting, amplifying, and celebrating resilience, strength, and interdependence. It's dehumanizing. 

My concluding comment at the book reading was: The lost soul trope is a dangerous concept in the wrong environment. It has legitimized many cultic groups. 

I still stand by the statement. Today, thanks to the good question, I know myself better and I’ve connected the dots on something that feels meaningful. 

This is the kind of discovery that takes place in Writing to Reckon classes and in the Connections Program. I've witnessed this in others again and again and it's so powerful. It’s my job to find the good question that I share in the form of a writing prompt. What happens next is Magic. Educational. Inspiring. Come experience a Friday class to see if it’s a good fit for you. You just might discover something revelatory about your own experience. 

What do you think about the lost souls trope? (The term could be different depending on the group - ie underachiever in a commercial cult, etc.) Is this familiar to you? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Gerette

PS: I’m excited to introduce you to a new ally and kindred thinker: Kelly Thompson. Her platform is titled: There’s Nothing Wrong with you (and there never was). Let’s say that again: There’s Nothing Wrong with you (and there never was). Got it? 

*Mind you: this is a ‘known’ cult - one that has branches all over the world. A quick google search will produce countless examples of people who have been harmed.