We carry in our minds ideas that are analogous to biological viruses. Ideologies that we download from an external source, without fully understanding them and judging them as good or bad or manipulative. These ‘mind viruses’, as I’ve started calling them, are present in most people and can be seen without any special powers. Mind viruses are counterproductive and often manipulative, contagious versions of ideas embodied as tools and technologies in the psyche. These are technologies learned from an external source, which we build our lives upon. Technology, as we are all well aware, can be used for good or for bad goals. Acceptance of others and their differences is a wonderful thing, but adapting another’s ideas is dangerous. And we often confuse accepting someone as the automatic adaptation of their beliefs and their psychological tools. Because people who have mind viruses are unaware that they have mind viruses and may argue vehemently that they arrived at their own conclusions, or they understand where the ideas well enough to adopt them. But the most effective and dangerous mind viruses, just like the best computer viruses, are sneaky and hide in plain sight. A virus that is clearly harmful, we can usually judge immediately as being harmful to the individual. But mind viruses that are sweet as candy on the outside, but bitter on the inside, are much more difficult to resist or to detect.