Hi all....my friend is in Landmark and starting the leadership program. I was looking at the Landmark Forum's 'seven commandments' for being an extraordinary person:

Be Racket-Free: give up being right - even when you know you were.

Be Powerful: be straight in your communication and take what you get.

Be Courageous: acknowledge your fear (not necessarily get rid of it) and then act.

Be Peaceful: give up the interpretation that there's something wrong.

Be Charismatic: give up trying to get somewhere. Be entirely fulfilled in the present moment.

Be Enrolling: share your new possibilities in such a way that others are touched, moved and inspired.

Be Unreasonable: in expectations of yourself and others beyond what you would think they are capable of.

I'm having a hard time justifying my position that Landmark is unhealthy because these "commandments" don't seem to be that bad. They seem to be pretty reasonable to me. The only thing I can come back with is the manner in which these "commandments" are delivered and the high emphasis on recruiting. Can any of you give me some insight? This is why I won't "check out a seminar" --- I think I'd get suckered in with their rationalizations. :roll:

Where'd you find the "seven commandments"?

Don't forget, with these types of things, the "sales-pitch" is DECEPTIVE. The Advertising has almost nothing to do with what they are REALLY doing to you.

Coz

Glam, these seven things are printed on the brochure for the"being extraordinary" seminar Landmark run

Nowadays these commandments are also given to you at the end of the Forum and it's the only thing you are allowed to write down.

I believe the commandments are very useful.

Lately I have very much begun to separate the good from the bad when it comes to Landmark. I find a lot of the stuff useful.

The key thing that is BAD about Landmark is that they strongly influence people to become religious about Landmark.

They also use/twist distinctions to do this. They make you impulsive (choice/decision and being unreasonable) and then be your word to get you to do stuff you don't want to do. They stop critical thinking with the racket, 'already always listening' and story concepts.

It really helped me out of my depression to separate the good from the bad when it comes to Landmark.

Also I believe it can be depressing to go on about how bad Landmark is on a day to day basis without doing anything about it (a racket = a persistent complaint with the payoff of being right and costing you happiness)

Don't get me wrong though: They SUCK! And when I really get my life sorted out again I plan to become active about shutting them down. If it can be done in Sweden it can be done anywhere!

You can break down the passive manipulation in the sentences if you use logic. They subtly contradict each other ex: It starts with Be racket free and then proceeds to describe the commandment racket.

Consider the meaning you already have imprinted for the word commandment......without landmarks influence.
Then that is being added to with their specific message. They've already half way got you just with the word commandment, biblical meaning, right wrong meaning good bad conotations etc etc., and Landmark hasn't even touched it yet.

Now why are they choosing that specific word? They are already beginning the subtle coersion.
This is a great example of loaded language. Look up some resourses on what that is and how it's used. It's very powerful
Lucretia

Plus, these commandments apply to sociopaths and non-sociopaths. Everything is okay. Nobody is "wrong" (except you for making someone wrong).

My best guess as to the "translations" of these "seven commendments" (please note that Landmark doesn't call itself a religion, but doesn't this sound like "the Ten Commandments" to you?):

"Be Racket-Free: give up being right - even when you know you were. "

"Be Peaceful: give up the interpretation that there's something wrong. "

These two "Commandments" are the same thing. Basically, ignore your inner voice when it tells you something is wrong, and just accept whatever the Landmark leader is telling you without question.

"Be Charismatic: give up trying to get somewhere. Be entirely fulfilled in the present moment."

First of all, what on Earth does trying to get somewhere have to do with being charismatic? This is a blatant attempt on the part of Landmark to redefine "giving in"as "being a person with charisma." So you'll convince yourself you'll somehow be more likeable and attract more friends if you give in to the Landmark way.

"Be Powerful: be straight in your communication and take what you get. "

Again, how does being painfully honest make you powerful? This "commandment" is used by LEC as a manipulation to get people to quit their jobs and disconnect from friends and family members, among other things, leaving them more time to devote to Landmark. By encouraging people to "be open and honest" with their boss, friends, loved ones, etc., about what's bothering them ("clearing," straight from Scientology), they anger these people and alienate them.

"Be Enrolling: share your new possibilities in such a way that others are touched, moved and inspired. "

This means get the people you know to sign up for Landmark seminars.

"Be Unreasonable: in expectations of yourself and others beyond what you would think they are capable of. "

In other words, even if people don't want to sign up for the seminars, keep trying to get them to anyway. What was the homework assignment again? Enroll people in the possibilties or exhaust yourself trying?

"Be Courageous: acknowledge your fear (not necessarily get rid of it) and then act."

Acknowledge your fear of Landmark taking over your true self, and then go ahead with the program anyway. Or submit to our fear exercises, which will make you emotionally vulnerable and upset, and then when we hypnotize you to make you feel better you'll thank us for rescuing you. This is a common tactic among people and groups that seek control over others -- they make you uncomfortable, and then when they remove the discomfort, you feel grateful to them for "saving" you from the discomfort they caused in the first place!

I think one of the problems with Landmark (and similar organisations) is that their sales technique requires them to apply a "one size fits all" philosophy. They've got a sales formula that works -- if they allowed others to express their opinions or to dissent, then they'd lose sales, and so cannot allow this. But of course, no one has all the answers, not even Landmark ( ;) in case you didn't notice). So the focus shifts from whatever positive messages you can distil into one of control, and from what I've seen that control doesn't respect the needs of the individual -- and can quite often be damaging to the individual and to their relationships with others.

As for their message -- its stand pop culture schlock, nothing new there. I've had the same type thing preached at me in many a management training course, and its parroted in most every women's magazine. Where Landmark differs is that they don't appear to give a shit about the individual -- either you do it the Landmark way (and pay through the nose and get all your friends and family to pay through the nose as well) or you're a dysfunctional liar.

I always find it bizarre that this sort of crap thrives (and usually originates) in the US, where the citizens pride themselves on freedom, and on their own personal free thinking and individuality.

its interesint to find that their seven commandments
dont mention that its wrong to kill. probably because
they have no right or wrong.