How We Stop “Drinking the Kool-Aid”

Where the Idiom, “Drink the Kool-Aid” Comes from:

The first major news story I remember is of Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre that happened in Guyana, SA. I was only seven years old in late 1978, when this horrible tragedy occurred. And, in my innocent child’s mind, couldn’t understand why anyone would poison themselves at the command of another.

Sadly, this toxic Kool-Aid comes in many flavors. There’s the type bullies and abusers force us to swallow, which kills our self-esteem. They drum into our heads the narratives that we’re worthless, a waste, and will never amount to anything. What’s sad is when we begin to believe it ourselves. Thus, we drink the toxic Kool-Aid that poisons and kills not only the self-esteem, but the soul.

Next, we have the flavors that politicians serve to us. These politicians convince us that they know better than we do what’s best for us. They try to tell us that they’re the best person for the job. These liars also tell us how to live our lives, what to believe, and how we should think. They fool us into thinking that they know more about us than we do. But, on the contrary, they wouldn’t know sh** from shinola.

The “Kool-Aid” Comes in Many Flavors

Lastly, we all get the kind Hollywood and the media force down our throats. This flavor has us convinced that we must look a certain way, be a certain size, wear certain styles, and buy certain products to fit in. Like the abusive kind, this kind of Kool-Aid is also poisonous to our self-esteem.

Therefore, just like members of Jones’ cult, The People’s Temple, we buy into the rhetoric. We, in a sense, drink the poisonous Kool-Aid and it will eventually kill us.

Fortunately, we can cleanse our systems of these toxins. And we do it by seeing the rhetoric we have received for what it is, a form of brainwashing. We must see the Kool-Aid Hollywood and the media serve as a marketing play to get us to spend our money on their products. When bullies force us to swallow their Kool-Aid by telling us we are worthless human beings, it is only to fool us into hating ourselves. When politicians give us a glass of theirs, it is for votes, or to have control over our lives.

Know that all these Kool-Aid pushers are experts at appealing to our emotions and our human desire for belonging. Understand that it’s all a part of an agenda.

Therefore, have your own beliefs, opinions, and convictions. Set your own standards to live up to and do what fulfills you no matter who does or doesn’t approve. In doing these things, you detox yourself from the toxic Kool-Aid you’ve been force fed and become a happier, healthier person.

With knowledge comes empowerment!