One of my students pretty much asked me to join a cult today. He'd stopped in to talk about a few things related to his studies in the US and, as we were wrapping up, he said "Have you ever heard of the Art of Living classes?" I told him I hadn't, so he elaborated, telling me that they have many classes, and the breathing exercises they teach have many therapeutic effects and have helped many people and so on.
It was... nice of him, I guess. And I certainly do exaggerate; Art of Living does actual service projects, has received numerous non-critical write-ups in news magazines, and doesn't seem to demand unwavering loyalty, submission and tons of money from anyone, unlike certain cults I could name.
Even still, I was never asked to join a cult while I lived in Seattle, despite some people's worries.
Honestly, it's shit like this that keeps me going.