I wonder if you can elaborate on the idea in My Ishmael of the similarities between cult and tribal mentality. I agree that people who join cults are looking for a sort of tribal fulfillment for which we all may be looking. I can also see your reasoning in asserting that the word 'cult' has bad connotations in our culture and that we are predisposed to believe that cult leaders are crazy. However, I believe there is a psychological control element to cult behavior that I don't imagine is present in tribal behavior. I know that often people involved in a cult want to leave and can't which also doesn't translate to the dynamic within a tribe, in my opinion. Also, I don't think the self-destructive aspect of cults translates to tribal thinking. I can't imagine a tribe destroying itself because of perceived threats from other tribes. I guess what I'm saying is that I think cults are bad. I can see that the desire to join one is a symptom of our non-tribal society and I think this is a valid point. The rest of the argument in My Ishmael is a bit of a stretch for me. • Ishmael.org, the work & philosophy of Daniel Quinn