So you've been cajoled into attending The Landmark Forum...
So you’ve been cajoled into attending The Landmark Forum by a loved one, or an employer. What do you do?
I attended The Landmark Forum a few weeks ago, against my better judgment, and afterwards I decided to compile this list of helpful suggestions for people who find themselves in the same uncomfortable position that I did.
The Landmark Forum may vary from region to region, so I don’t know if everything that I bring up happens at every Landmark Forum weekend, but I’m not exactly willing to find out firsthand. Anyway, here is my advice on how to go through it with your brain intact, and a few observations.
1. Don’t go. If it’s a friend or employer who is “enrolling” you, give a very firm “NO” as soon as possible, or better yet, use Landmark-speak and say “I choose not to go.” Give no explanations, for none will be accepted. This will not be easy for most people, but it is highly recommended.
2. If you chicken out with rule #1, don’t count on going to The Forum and getting your refund on the first day. Yes, they do offer a refund, but before they offer it to you there is a speech on how much “courage” it takes to attend Landmark, and how everyone there should be congratulated for having so much “courage”. After that, people who want a refund are asked to rise, go to the back of the room and collect their refund. Very clever. If you don’t have the fortitude to do #1, you won’t find this to be any easier.
3. Before you go, read as much about The Landmark Forum, from culteducation.com, as you can stomach. It helps to know the jargon, techniques, “philosophy”, history, and of course the big Sunday afternoon punch-line; “Life is empty and meaningless.” (Not worthless, meaningless. Be aware of the distinction.) Many of the worst case scenarios that you will read are just that, worst case. It’s not likely to happen to you, but why take that chance (See #1).
4. VERY IMPORTANT: Bring your own chair. Landmark has notoriously hard chairs. Bring along one of those fold up canvas chairs. On the breaks, take the chair with you, and move to another area when you return. There is no acceptable reason for you to be uncomfortable. If you bring your own chair, you can consistently choose to be on the end of one of the last rows. Also, an added bonus is that you are likely to inspire others to show up on subsequent days with their own chairs. Landmark wants a very controlled environment (Especially chairs.), they don’t like this control being disrupted, but they will accommodate you.
5. Bring a cooler full of food, and keep it in your car. The half hour breaks aren’t long enough to run out to a restaurant. Make your own sandwiches and bring your favorite fruits and vegetables. Eat things that will keep your energy up. You’ll need healthy foods to keep your critical thinking in gear.
6. At the beginning of The Forum, the leader may mention that “Everything I say up here, isn’t the truth.” Remember this, and take them at their word. Pay attention to these sorts of disclaimers. Essentially, they tell you outright that what they are telling you for the next few days…is crap. You can, at the very least, agree on that.
7. They give you homework at the breaks. Don’t do the homework. If by chance someone asks you why you didn’t do your homework, just say “Because I chose not to.” That is all you need.
8. Don’t stand up and try to reason or argue with the leader. This is pointless (See #6.) The Landmark “philosophy” rejects the concept of reason. Remember: You can’t reason a person out of an idea, that wasn’t reasoned into to begin with (apologies to Jonathan Swift.)
9. The leader and volunteers aren’t your friends. They’re like car salesmen, or people who sell time shares in Ft. Lauderdale. They may be friendly, they may be very nice people, but they aren’t your friend.
10. Don’t be angry. You’re already there, don’t make it worse for yourself by being angry. Yes, you’re bored, frustrated (Remember #6), and…bored, but maybe make a game out of the situation. Think up nicknames for the various volunteers. Call them by their designated nicknames when you breeze past them on your way to and from the meeting room. “How’s it goin’ Roscoe?” “’Atta boy, Skippy.” “Beautiful day, eh Chuckles?”, etc.
Disclaimer: Enthusiastic friendliness is an important key.
11. When approached by one of the volunteers, tell them no more about yourself than what you would tell to a perfect stranger. Be cheerful, maintain unwavering eye-contact, and deflect their prying questions about you, by asking only questions about them. “Where are you from?” “How long have you been in Landmark?” “What event in your past did you overcome because of the Landmark Forum?”, “Are you a cat person?” etc. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Landmarkians loooove to talk about themselves. Keep them going until they get bored, or until time runs out.
Observations:
I found it startling how much Landmark “philosophy” is almost an exact photo-negative of
Objectivism; feelings over reason, denial of objective reality, devaluing of human judgment, and volunteers that give up their time for a group without compensation. Both “philosophies” emphasize choice, but in diametrically opposite ways. Landmark encourages choice as an end to itself (“I choose, because I choose to.”), cutting evidence or reason out of the equation. Objectivism is about choice based solely on a devotion to ones own interest, using ones own senses and mind to reason and understand a tangible world.
Ask yourself why the "leader" keeps quoting a Stalinist (Jean Paul Sartre) and a Nazi (Martin Heidegger). No doubt, some people will be impressed by quotes from philosophers with exotic sounding foreign names, but why does the leader feel that such compromised individuals are so intellectually persuasive? Does the leader hope that most in the room haven’t heard of these people, or maybe haven’t yet mastered the finer points of Googling?
The Landmark Forum claims that they can help you to unlock your creativity. Create a new possibility, if you will. I’ve had the opportunity to watch several movies made by, and promoted by Landmarkians; [b:02b2fc9ff1]Pay It Forward[/b:02b2fc9ff1], [b:02b2fc9ff1]The Matrix[/b:02b2fc9ff1] sequels, even [b:02b2fc9ff1]What the Bleep Do We Know[/b:02b2fc9ff1]. On the surface, very different movies, but they all have one thing in common. They’re crap. Not just crap, mind you, boring, proselytizing crap.
Think of your favorite movie and realize that there is at least a 99% chance that the writers and directors of that film didn’t use Landmark “technology” to “unlock” their creativity. What it took was determination, luck, and some combination of innate and acquired skills. There is no one-weekend magic bullet for creativity.
In reading various sites by people promoting The Landmark Forum, there is one thing that becomes immediately apparent. They…all…sound…alike.
There’s a limp SAMENESS to nearly everything that I’ve read by these people, and it’s chilling to go from page to page,
person to
person, seemingly all written with the same voice. Reading these sites makes it difficult to imagine there ever being a “Landmarkian Hemingway”, a “Landmarkian P.G. Wodehouse”, or a “Landmarkian James Ellroy”.
Certainly there are more points that I could make, but these are my most obvious suggestions and observations.
Remember, always think for yourself, and be wary of anyone who tries to convince you to turn off your inner voice, because that inner voice IS YOU.