Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible

The internet is on fire with a newly leaked video of Tom Cruise rambling about his personal crusade to save the world:



Exhibit A in the harmful effects of a cult. Watching this video, you cannot help but feel that you are watching a delusional man. For a moment there, I thought Cruise was about to jump up on the couch as he extolled the greatness of Scientology. But this got me thinking about how cults get to prey on the insecurities of troubled adherents.

Tom Cruise is obviously a troubled man. By his own admission, he was abused by his father and suffered constant bullying during his youth that left him forever scarred. By and large, this is the general makeup of a cult follower. A victim of physical or mental abuse, who suffers from low self-esteem. Predictably, the victim looks for something that can explain away the injustices of the world and some affirmation that his life is worth something. Why do we have a world where an adult can prey upon a child with no mercy? Why do we have such a huge chasm between the rich and the poor: where the motto "survival of the fittest" reigns? Yes, with cynicism, poverty, war, disease and injustice controlling the world, you can understand why Cruise views it as his mission to save the world through Scientology. But I am afraid not even he, who is referred to as the most powerful man in Hollywood, can achieve this impossible task!