In case you haven't seen it yet, The Cult of Nature Boy is a 4-part documentary that covers the rise and fall of Melanin/Carbon Nation and its charismatic leader, Eligio Bishop, AKA Nature Boy.

As someone fascinated by cults, I found it surreal to watch this documentary because I saw most of these events unfold in real time. One of the most interesting aspects was hearing the ex-members give details about what led them to seek out the cult and, ultimately, what compelled them to escape it.

One of the main commonalities of all the ex-members they interviewed was that they were at a point where they were becoming fed up with, and even fearful of, where the country was headed. Most of them did not have the most supportive communities, started to feel isolated, and began searching for lifestyle changes that were more aligned with who they saw themselves becoming.

They felt they were living a life that lacked structure, guidance, depth, and truth. They had also grown to a point where they were ready to leave the country and never come back.

Cults such as these often seem like a way out, or at least a way through the confusion.

Enter: Nature Boy — a charismatic leader promoting a more natural, sustainable way of living outside the United States among like-minded melanated people.

As someone who went on various spiritual journeys throughout my lifetime and was mostly ridiculed for them, I totally understand why Carbon Nation was an attractive option for so many.

It was a welcoming community of individuals tired of living in a capitalist society, one that taught a healthier way of life and promised to bring them closer to heaven on earth. And indeed, many of them admit they felt they had found a slice of heaven while seeking an escape from hell. These were talented young people with dreams who moved to a compound that enabled them to study, sing, dance, create art, and create content for a living, all while building a tangible community to uplift them and help them reach their full potential.

In theory, Carbon Nation was perfect. Outside of the narcissistic leader, the community could have truly been the answer to these individuals' prayers. It offered the best of both worlds: the ability to build community and gain notoriety in the process.

Unfortunately for them, cult leadership literally banks on this. They are well aware that being spiritually hungry without a solid communal foundation leaves us all far more open to suggestion than usual. And they know how addictive it can be to finally feel seen and appreciated.

They casually create a persona and ambiance that attracts particular types of people; those who have lots to offer but very few seem to appreciate them.

I spoke more about how rampant cults actually are and how easy it is to join one without realizing it here:

Carbon Nation was a perfect storm for young Black people searching for more. In an age where leadership and community have fallen by the wayside, Melanin Nation offered guidance, community, discipline, clout, and promises of heaven on earth and in the afterlife.

However, the positives begin and end there. The community was run by a man with narcissistic tendencies who seemed to have a sex addiction or issues with sexual deviance. Although he used the men to entice young women to join, he ultimately claimed all the women as his own and demanded threesomes, foursomes, or whatever number suited him for the day.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Per his teachings, women actually enjoyed being sexually assaulted, and no woman was allowed to say no to him or any man with whom he paired them sexually. They were also on a very limited vegan diet, which he promoted to his massive online following but did not follow himself. In fact, he promoted domestic violence by encouraging the men to beat the so-called "masculinity" out of the women so they would be more submissive.

He also got the group in legal trouble, resulting in them being kicked out of multiple locations, berated them publicly, and, by the end, had gone into full-on pimp mode, slapping them if they dared to get out of line or challenge his authority in any way.

He took all their money, credit cards, etc., and used them with impunity. He kept them from talking to their friends and family for weeks or months at a time, and when they were allowed to speak to them, he was always front and center, controlling the narrative and guiding the conversation.

Staying for the Cult-ure

But as miserable as this all sounds, many didn't leave for months or even years.

Why? Well, that's for a few reasons, but one of the main ones is the humiliation. It takes a lot of courage to make such a major move in one's life. Especially one that requires them to shun their kids, family, and friends, give up their life savings, proclaim a man as their God and leader, starve themselves, participate in deviant sexual acts, and more.

And I think this is the part that we need to pay more attention to. It's not just what brings them there, but what keeps them there that matters. Think about it, these are all people who didn't feel they had a community from the beginning. And no matter how toxic the environment may be, they certainly do start to feel a sense of community and camaraderie with the people they live around, leader included.

Additionally, they give up their belongings, relationships, and possessions, and when dealing with a community that is often highly judgmental and unforgiving when it comes to religious matters, in particular, the road to redemption can start to appear far more daunting than the ups and downs of cult life.

Let's be clear: Stockholm Syndrome is the crux of most cults. If it were all bad, nobody would join. Most cults offer just enough positive experiences to enable members to overlook the negative to maintain their position and status in the community. Cults assign their members roles and make them feel just as vital as they are useless. Sadly, when you don't have a community to go back to, any ole' community will do.

And this is why many are willing to literally deal with years of abuse and even give their lives before they go back to the lives they were living prior.

Rewriting History

Melanin Nation had all the makings of a tragic ending. Nature Boy was being compared to Jim Jones, and over the years, he became more emboldened and reckless with his abuse.

However, the publicity that helped him grow his following was also what ultimately led to his being shunned in multiple locations, to the point that he ended up back in America. And it was only because he was in America that he was actually brought to justice so quickly; when these cults are in other countries, it becomes infinitely more difficult to get the law involved and even more difficult to get a real conviction. Luckily for the ex-members, the law intervened and effectively ended the cult as they knew it.

I'm not here to condemn any of the ex- or even current followers of Nature Boy; I'm here to raise awareness that cults are more common than we know, and getting sucked into one is not as crazy as it sounds.

People join cults because they're tired of feeling alone, they're tired of building with no community, struggling to find their own form of spirituality in a community that is essentially a religious monolith, searching for structure, etc.

As humans, we don't always see the signs or know when to intervene to prevent our loved ones from joining cults. However, we can certainly let them know that we support their decisions and will be there if they need us. Doing so can mean the difference between having a family member who temporarily leaves to go on a spiritual journey, and one who disappears and never returns.