LIFE LESSON: Self help is no help

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I recently watched a series on Showmax titled - The VOW. It is a documentary that follows the experiences of people deeply involved in the self-improvement group NXIVM, an organization under siege with charges including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy brought against its highest members and founder Keith Ranier. 

I previously held very harsh views against people who have fallen victims of cults but after watching this documentary I have learnt not to be quick to judge, because the story of the victims in this documentary could have easily been my story. The people narrating their experiences in this documentary are good people with sober habits.

They were looking to find meaning and purpose for their lives, a journey I believe we should all embark on, because when we find our life purpose we are then well positioned to make an impact in our society and communities.I am currently on a journey of self discovery and that is why I can identify with them and watching their story has taught me the following lessons.

There is only one Life - Leader

This self help group evolved around its founder Keith Rainiere, he was the brains behind the operations. The members looked up to him and were in awe of his wisdom. He was essentially their Life - Leader.

In my journey I had also entrusted others with my journey and put them on a pedestal and made them my Life leaders. Fortunately for me it did not end badly as it did with the people in the documentary.

The fact that I was fortunate that the people I had put on a pedestal did not have selfish motives does not take away the fact that human beings are naturally very selfish putting their own interest ahead of anybody else’s. To avoid opening a door to being abused by human beings as I seek to find meaning of life I have now put my journey in the hands of one Life - Leader Jesus Christ .He is the only Life - Leader who can be trusted because his interest is to get me in harmony with him so that through me God can influence society and make this world a better place.

There is no good without God

Discovering the meaning of life is an aspiration we all hold. The founder Keith Raniere started this programme to fulfill this aspiration. The narrators in this documentary believe turning this programme into a sex cult was his goal from the word go. I believe he started this with good intentions but his humanity kicked in along the way and he saw an opportunity to turn this into something that benefits him. Whether or not his intentions were good when he started the programme is not important at this point. What is important is that what he started was a good thing even his victims agree that there was a lot of good that came out their time in the programme.

My lesson from their story is that getting on a journey of self discovery is good but doing it without God does not make sense. It is like getting on a journey to discover how an I- Phone works without its manufacturer Apple. God is our manufacturer, we can never fully know who we are without him.

My big takeaway from this documentary is that self help is no help on a journey of self discovery without the Creator, therefore as I embark on this journey to find meaning and purpose I am aligning myself with Jesus Christ so that through me God can influence my community and make this world a better place.

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