A Challenge to all Landmark doubters
Date: June 18, 2005 02:46AM
O.k. I will give this a try and I will apologize now, for this will be very disjointed. The negativity of LE comes not from participating but from the treatment of the person as whole. The negativity comes from the addiction that can be created by a devotee. The negativity comes from the rude and self absorbed behavior that is part of the LE experience. The negativity comes from when LE participant begins to choose LE over family, friends, work, health and is totally engulfed in the LE world, much like heroin or meth.
You stated "personal responsibility" in your post, but that is in the face of the LE doctrine. The choice "ice cream" exercise is a classic example. When you decide to do something you have thought about it, when you choose, you do so blindly of the consequences. LE encourages people to choose, not decide. It is splashed in all of the doctrine, dogma and paperwork of LE.
So, let me take this point for point. The treatment of the person/participant as a whole. Being asked and pressured into making statements that are degrading and being belittled for attaching feelings to that experience. Being told that if your father raped you and you now have difficulties with relationships with men because of it is a lie, then the participant is no longer a caring feeling person...who really needs real help. Pressuring participants, beyond reason, to bring family members to the Intro nights or Special nights is another example. There is documented experiences of being yelled at and belittled and not getting "it" for those that don't. I ask, what professor or other educator behaves this way. Do you teach a dog by yelling at him? Do you teach a child to tie their shoe by demeaning them? Why would you "teach" someone that their life experiences mean nothing by yelling and demeaning them?
The addiction or high that is created is short lived. Just ask Sonnie-Dee. Just ask me as I have watched my girlfriend come off of her high from being a coach and the crash that she is experiencing. Similar to that of crack cocaine...intense and short lived. If you watch "what the bleep" they discuss training your neuron receptors to new ways of thinking. LE trains you to a new of thinking that requires constant input from LE. The coaching sessions, although seemingly benign, are worded to make you think twice, not a bad thing. However, when you are left with that "thinking twice" you begin to question yourself. Much like an alcoholic who tries to go cold turkey and is doing o.k. until a buddy calls from the bar and tells him what a great time they are having. Usually, the addict is back at the bar. The addiction of LE is not trackable due to the shame factor and privacy clause avery participant signs. It says that the information and experiences shared are very personal and the privacy of all participants must be respected, which means yours. This tells you not to talk about it. Keep it to yourself. So, when someone from LE calls you to "chat" it is that friend who knows you so well and is asking you to come to the bar, even if they don't say it.
LE participants are self absorded and rude. This is a broad statement, but true in more ways than one. The "speak" that they use is designed to put other people on edge. So, that way when an outsider doesn't get it the speaker can put themselves on a pedastal as a teacher. They then will go on a monologue about their experiences and the education. In the end the listener looses track of what was said and is made to "be wrong". The rudeness comes from the philosophy that life is empty and meaningless. This means that all the meaning that people give to the life and communication is put there by the listener. So, if a speaker is blatantly rude, that is not that person's problem, it is the listener who has the problem. I come across this all the time with my girlfriend. When she is called on it, she becomes defensive stating that I put meaning to it, so it is my problem. Let me say this, as a person who prides themselves on great verbal skills: As a speaker you have a resposibility to the listener. This is to ensure that they are getting your words and thoughts clearly. If they don't the speaker has failed. In LE it is the other way around.
When a LE participant begins to done more costly, time consuming classes the friends and family begin to suffer. This runs right back to addicition. You have to have more and more of the drug, more often, to maintain that high. In a substance abuse issue, the family and friends suffer too. In a LE situation, the participant not only can not stop taking more and more classes, they can not stop speaking about it. Normal life has no meaning to them any more. The only life that they want is LE. Their friends are there, they are accepted there, their belief systems are not challenged their. So, LE has created the community and the modis oporondi for the participant to stop being part of family and friends.
In closing, LE claims that they you can get what ever you want out of taking LE and that they care about you. However, since they are a business their only responsibilty is to make more and more money. To continue to pad the pockets of Erhard. You state the responsibility is on the person, and normally I would agree, if that person were not "transformed". However, participants have lost that part of them that makes good decisions. They count on coaching calls and support from other LE'ers to make those choice and decisions. So, you are right ther is very little on the web about how LE is bad. There is mostly experiental discussions. However, that is what LE is, EXPERIENTIAL. Since, a Forumite can not explain clearly why the forum is so good or what goes on it makes it impossible to clearly discuss it. They would say you have to experience it to understand it. I disagree. They lack the ability and individuality to be able to explain, in their own words, what it is. Because, it is nothing but a snake oil show. They ride into town, pad the audience with plants, and ride out of town with $410.00 of your money, with no responsibility to you at all.
I suggest you read more and more. There are numerous articles, dissertations, antecdotes that discuss technology vs. technique. That LE is a product, but with no waurantee. They are irresponsibly affecting peoples lives.
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