Unlike a vast majority of people on this site I have absolutely no personal experience with a cult, a high pressure relationship, a multi level scam or pyramid scheme. Ive never attended even so much as a time share seminar let alone Landmark or some other LGAT. I have never felt the sting of the loss of a friend or family member to a cult nor have I ever had to sever a relationship because of one. I am not religious, I dont attend church, 12 step meetings, therapy of any kind, Im not a sales man or a politician, doctor, lawyer or anything like that. I dont have an agenda so to speak, which is to say I dont come to this board with the sole intention to do anything more than read and respond.

In my time on this board Ive witnessed several people come here with the clear purpose of picking a fight or to attack someone on the board and thier views. Such are the type of people who meet with my personal disapproval, though well within thier rights, they are abusive in my opinion. Most of the people who come here however, have either opened up and shared some harrowing and scary experiences, or have offered insight from a professional and experienced point of view with the intentions of being helpful. It is impossible not to respect the courage it takes to first endure such experiences but then to have the strength to break away from the destructive group AND the strength to come here and share it all with complete strangers!

Anyone who has read any number of my posts, including moderators, has seen me express myself with, at times, a rather aggressive style. It is not beyond the realm of reason for me to conclude, partly from a small number of posts that never made thier way to the board, and an even smaller number of posts that have been trimmed down by hands not my own, that many people may find me to be a bit malevolent towards a distinct type of board user. Further it may be argued that the type of user that I am often openly hostile with is genuinly no different than a user whom I respect only in a different stage in thier life, and that it is only a matter of time and hope that eventually they make thier transition. Point established.

I on the other hand have a more objective view. I see life as a near endless series of choices. A persons choices are a reflection of both thier inner and higher beings. I believe in eternal balance and equity. Give as you will recieve. And most of all I believe in Justice. Hold accountable those who disregard the rights and needs of others for the only truly greater evil for such disregard is apathy to injustice!

On 9/11 all of us who hadnt already done so long before that point were being asked to take a scrutinous, critical and deadly serious look at our lives and what was going on in the world around us. Sort of a wake up call for the whole human race to the vast injustices and gross imbalance in our time. I would be arrogent and foolish to think or assert I had any special insightful gift that gave me clarivoyance enough to deduce or conclude my claim. Its really simple logic; the whole civilized world witnessed and then reacted at once to the events as they unfurled. For better or worse virtually all of us on the planet were quite 'together' at that moment in time. Almost like a Global Landmark Seminar; physically and emotionally shocking and exhausting (how many of us slept well after that day?), confusing and occasionally contradicting repetitive media bombardment that endured for weeks... You fill in the blanks.

It was my conclusion at 10am on 9/11 that things were about to get very 'interesting' down here on earth, in line with an ancient chinese curse that more or less says "May you live in interesting times", interesting being a euphamism for catastrophic.

I do believe in more ways than one that "A line has been drawn in the sand" ;) and that those who would stand on the side of that line opposite to me are both outside of and within this great country of ours. Further, I do NOT believe that religion/race is the only exclusive determining factor as to which side of the line a person shall stand, though in other parts of the world it is and will be. More so I believe that matters of choice (values, ideas and beliefs), not genetic inheritance (race, religion, or culture) will play the dominating role in determining if a person is aligned one way or another.

Back to and to tie this into my original point: When I come here and read of someones nightmarish tale of spiritual captivity, or heart breaking story of a family torn asunder, lives ruined, loved ones and finances lost, I know, without learning anything about this persons color, creed, and preferences, that such a person is not the kind of person I envision looking opposite me in that 'line in the sand'. However, when I read a post by someone making rude, provocative, instigative, corrosive, senseless, distorted, agenda driven and antagonistic remarks in defense of thier group/beliefs/whatever, I wish with all my heart to see such a person on the other side of that line.
:twisted: Cause I got something for 'em..... :twisted:

Sadly my only recourse is to mistreat abuse and humiliate such people to the best of my abilities. And as I have clearly demonstrated time and again in the past; I know trouble when I smell it, I refuse to avoid confronting abusive people, and I appologize to the respected if I offend along the way!

As an intelligent compassionate outsider to the painful manipulative experiences, and subsequent recovery, of the majority of folks on this board -- your understanding and insight is a valuable contribution.

Yes, it IS hard to remain compassionate to those who are still sucked in the cult manipulation. After all, how many feel compassion for the brainwashed terrorists who carried out the tragedy of 9/11, or any other bomb toting terrorists? They are as much the victims of the manipulative practices, as any well dressed attendee at an LGAT. Take someone in a painful situation (divorce, poverty, whatever) and promise them the world, throw in some fatigue, selective diet, love bombing, uniting in anger at shared victimization, and you have a terrorist, whether verbal or otherwise.

Again, thank you for your contributions, your strength to stand up for your beliefs, and your understanding why the board moderators must prevent the board from becoming a place of antagonism.

Templar - An excellent piece of prose.

Your contribution is benefical to us all, those recovering, loved ones and the like.

Intelligence and compassion are hard to pass by when met.

Oz