What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: ON2 LF ()
Date: October 09, 2007 12:27PM

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I suppose that you'd have to agree that learning in life is a good thing and that the faster we achieve spiritual and psychological maturity, the better. Otherwise, why live examined lives at all?

So if an examined life = a good thing, then a more examine life = an even better thing.

These trainings often accelerate clarity and experience. In my experience, they condense life experience and heighten the learning moments.

Learning in life is indeed a good thing, but I don't agree that we NEED to achieve spiritual and psychological maturity ASAP, in fact, I think rapid maturity on these levels are impossible. As impossible as making a three year old grow into a twenty year olds' body in a brief span of time.
I think we mistakenly think that the spiritual and psychological aspects of our humanity can be boosted with philosophical growth hormone, only because both are invisible and cannot be assessed honestly as having 'grown' or not.
A legitimate approach to life and living, NATURALLY causes self examination, no need for an LGAT. Those who choose to not grow, mature, or become 'all they can or want to be', are still very real members of humanity and are still unique beings.
The choice is theirs to make, and contrary to Socrates' personal philosophy, any life [i:d5a02f766a][b:d5a02f766a]is[/b:d5a02f766a][/i:d5a02f766a] worth living whether it is examined to the same extent as some choose to examine life, or not. Who the hell was he to make that judgement?
Socrates had no right to make that call, he was just a man, not God.

As for the "if then" logic,

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So if an examined life = a good thing, then a more examine life = an even better thing.

Whose notion of what 'an examined life' is or is not, propels this process? Who has the authority to approve the depth to which one has examined their life, as being sufficient or not?
Who or what is that so-called authority comparing a person to?

Even more worthy of consideration is [b:d5a02f766a][i:d5a02f766a]who[/i:d5a02f766a][/b:d5a02f766a] is directing the 'examination of life' in the LGAT? Very murky waters there, all due to the a murky philosophy, "an unexamined life is not worth living". It sounds great and even deceptively profound, but it is still a personal judgement on quality or value of life. Maybe Socrates didn't mean anything more than to express an opinion, but his statement seems to have been subjected to misapplication as a sacred philosophical doctrine.

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These trainings often accelerate clarity and experience. In my experience, they condense life experience and heighten the learning moments.

How do you condense life experience which you haven't lived yet? Do the trainings accelerate clarity and experience, or do these trainings affect one's perceptual processes? Define clarity.
I can see how conditions in which to learn may be optimized in some circumstances, but these conditions are achievable without any specific setting or a specific philosophy, and certainly without a specific $$ value.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: boonetahoe ()
Date: October 09, 2007 01:37PM

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"ON2 LF"
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I suppose that you'd have to agree that learning in life is a good thing and that the faster we achieve spiritual and psychological maturity, the better. Otherwise, why live examined lives at all?

So if an examined life = a good thing, then a more examine life = an even better thing.

These trainings often accelerate clarity and experience. In my experience, they condense life experience and heighten the learning moments.

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Learning in life is indeed a good thing, but I don't agree that we NEED to achieve spiritual and psychological maturity ASAP, in fact, I think rapid maturity on these levels are impossible. As impossible as making a three year old grow into a twenty year olds' body in a brief span of time.
I think we mistakenly think that the spiritual and psychological aspects of our humanity can be boosted with philosophical growth hormone, only because both are invisible and cannot be assessed honestly as having 'grown' or not.

I didn't imply that we "need" to reach maturity ASAP. I merely suggested that our joy in life will mirror our spiritual and psychological gains. On the extreme, existing in ignorance and bigotry isn't probably the most joy-filled way of living. On the other extreme, becoming a peaceful and wise soul is generally a more joy-filled life.

I believe that we tend to accumulate wisdom through life's experiences -- depending on how much we're willing to risk and how much we're willing to learn. If I ensconce myself in my beliefs and my comfort zones, I may protect my ego, but I won't experience much growth. If I avoid relationships, I may not get hurt, but I won't be pushed to love and compromise and see things from anothers' perspective. In short, I believe that it's unreasonable to suggest that people can only grow as fast as their default lives will allow. We definitely can stretch and accelerate our inner-growth if we're willing to be vulnerable (and willing to open our fixed beliefs up to review.)

I would also suggest that our level of spiritual and psychological maturity can absolutely be measured by taking count of our results in life. Heightened levels of patience, acceptance, openness, humility, etc. definitely lead to higher levels of financial success, physical fitness, relationship success and spiritual contentedness. I don't believe that our life results exist in complete independence from our level of personal growth. (Of course, that's not exactly what you were saying either.)

I have around nine hundred employees who work for my companies or their clients and the one common denominator among those who are successful at work is that they are more self-aware. They are open, they take accountability, they are willing to risk and they are humble enough to take measure of their failures. At the same time, I watch as more-closed and less-aware people sabotage their careers and spin their wheels. I can't resolve my life experience with the notion that spiritual and psychological maturity doesn't manifest itself in measurable ways.

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A legitimate approach to life and living, NATURALLY causes self examination, no need for an LGAT.

I'm curious as to what you mean here. To be clear, this natural approach to life. . . would it include "traditional" forms of self-betterment such as education, religion, physical fitness, therapy??

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Those who choose to not grow, mature, or become 'all they can or want to be', are still very real members of humanity and are still unique beings.

Certainly. You'd have to be a monster to think otherwise.

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The choice is theirs to make, and contrary to Socrates' personal philosophy, any life [i:8af5fb81d0][b:8af5fb81d0]is[/b:8af5fb81d0][/i:8af5fb81d0] worth living whether it is examined to the same extent as some choose to examine life, or not. Who the hell was he to make that judgement?
Socrates had no right to make that call, he was just a man, not God.

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OK, but YOU brought up Socrates. Not me. I don't buy that statement either. I'm sure my dogs' lives are worth living and they're way short in the "examined life" department. (Not to suggest that clueless people are anything like Boxers.)


As for the "if then" logic,

So if an examined life = a good thing, then a more examine life = an even better thing.


Whose notion of what 'an examined life' is or is not, propels this process?

I suppose it would be up to the individual. Each of us are capable of describing the lives we want. We all have this internal barometer of whether or not we're happy by our standards. If we're reaching those results, or making progress toward those results, that's probably success.


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Who has the authority to approve the depth to which one has examined their life, as being sufficient or not?
Who or what is that so-called authority comparing a person to?

You're implying that the LGAT highjacks this process and dictates what a person should become. That's not true of all LGATs. You may be generalizing and degrading your argument (if I may be so bold.)

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Even more worthy of consideration is [b:8af5fb81d0][i:8af5fb81d0]who[/i:8af5fb81d0][/b:8af5fb81d0] is directing the 'examination of life' in the LGAT? Very murky waters there, all due to the a murky philosophy, "an unexamined life is not worth living".

I'd agree if that were the philosophy of the LGATs. I've never heard it mentioned in a training.

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It sounds great and even deceptively profound, but it is still a personal judgement on quality or value of life. Maybe Socrates didn't mean anything more than to express an opinion, but his statement seems to have been subjected to misapplication as a sacred philosophical doctrine.

These trainings often accelerate clarity and experience. In my experience, they condense life experience and heighten the learning moments.

How do you condense life experience which you haven't lived yet? Do the trainings accelerate clarity and experience, or do these trainings affect one's perceptual processes? Define clarity.
I can see how conditions in which to learn may be optimized in some circumstances, but these conditions are achievable without any specific setting or a specific philosophy, and certainly without a specific $$ value.

I guess you'd condense life experience by taking risk, increasing vulnerability, holding yourself to honesty and experiencing other people as they go through the same process. Life can absolutely come at you fast or slow. Going through a divorce (if you've ever done that) can bring on lots of life lessons very quickly. Experiencing death, birth, war, love, treachery etc. can all be intense learning experiences. We learn much faster during intense emotional experiences. The LGAT training is just that: it's an intense environment where intense learning can take place. This isn't new news. We've been self-educating for eons of time.

Many don't like LGATs and I would suggest that this is for a couple of reasons.

1. Because so many of the LGAT trainings are inherently hypocritical. The charismatic personalities are often buried in their own dysfunction and (once they're uncovered as the demon-ridden souls they are,) they don't stand up well to examination.

2. (And this should probably be number one,) people don't like to be told that they're life could be better than it is. We find that statement wholly offensive. We'd rather stand firm in our belief that our life is ideal or at least OK. Having some kooky class where we're yelled at for being clueless is just about the last thing we want to do. People hate (HATE!) to be wrong. These LGATs are all about digging up the ways that we're wrong. It's no mystery why people (like some on this board) would vociferously object to them. (With that said, please refer back to number one. I realize that these trainings are dangerous, too.)

3. And, most vehement of all are those people who made it part way. They went deep enough into an LGAT to experiencing some overbearing SOB yelling at them that they were deeply in self-delusion. But, they quit before they broke through to accepting that possiblity. Those folks need to destroy that LGAT. The alternative is to let the suggestion stand that their life story, their beliefs about their own life, are questionable. And, to make matters even worse, the LGAT and their loudmouth trainer are "soft targets." As mentioned, these people and organizations have their share of sickness. It's fairly easy to tear them down.

Anyway -- I've really enjoyed the chat. It's good to be reminded that there's a reasonable, opposing perspective that's worth weighing as we do this LGAT thing.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: ON2 LF ()
Date: October 09, 2007 04:33PM

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We learn much faster during intense emotional experiences. The LGAT training is just that: it's an intense environment where intense learning can take place. This isn't new news. We've been self-educating for eons of time.

And this is exactly what I abhor about LGATs, the intensity is manufactured with a specific result in mind. The intensity causes some kind of learning, but how does that learning compare with learning that is not evoked in an unnatural setting by an unnatural process? I respect the individual paces at which we grow and learn, and I respect that each person learns in accordance with his or her circumstances and the requirements specific to their situation. This is the type of learning that supports and compliments the uniqueness in each person at a psychological, experiential, spiritual, and emotional level. I know alot of happy people who were never forced to learn in a short amount of time, and I know alot of miserable people who are often tested beyond their limits in the learning arena.
Its great to want to see a happier humanity but this desire shouldn't be imposed with methods that cannot possibly meet every single person at every individual level of growth and style of learning. Robin Hood wanted to see the poor fed too but his methods were still contrary to good morality, he was a thief.

A thief is a thief and an LGAT is an LGAT.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: MartinH ()
Date: October 09, 2007 05:17PM

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boonetahoe
I didn't imply that we "need" to reach maturity ASAP. I merely suggested that our joy in life will mirror our spiritual and psychological gains. On the extreme, existing in ignorance and bigotry isn't probably the most joy-filled way of living. On the other extreme, becoming a peaceful and wise soul is generally a more joy-filled life.

know what? the problem is that I don't want anybody to tell me or know better what I should think or how I should experience things in my life.
LGATs simplify things and have no strong foundation, if any.
I just want to tell my opinion, freely and openly, and I want to be critical ...
without anybody telling me that or why my life does not work.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: Vic-Luc ()
Date: October 09, 2007 07:38PM

You noticed how quickly boonetahoe bolted and said thanks for the chat when the pro-LE argument was advanced, and the logic didn't hold up?

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: MartinH ()
Date: October 09, 2007 10:06PM

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boonetahoe

I suppose it would be up to the individual. Each of us are capable of describing the lives we want. We all have this internal barometer of whether or not we're happy by our standards. If we're reaching those results, or making progress toward those results, that's probably success.


These trainings often accelerate clarity and experience. In my experience, they condense life experience and heighten the learning moments.

I guess you'd condense life experience by taking risk, increasing vulnerability, holding yourself to honesty and experiencing other people as they go through the same process. Life can absolutely come at you fast or slow. Going through a divorce (if you've ever done that) can bring on lots of life lessons very quickly. Experiencing death, birth, war, love, treachery etc. can all be intense learning experiences. We learn much faster during intense emotional experiences. The LGAT training is just that: it's an intense environment where intense learning can take place. This isn't new news. We've been self-educating for eons of time.

Many don't like LGATs and I would suggest that this is for a couple of reasons.

1. Because so many of the LGAT trainings are inherently hypocritical. The charismatic personalities are often buried in their own dysfunction and (once they're uncovered as the demon-ridden souls they are,) they don't stand up well to examination.

2. (And this should probably be number one,) people don't like to be told that they're life could be better than it is. We find that statement wholly offensive. We'd rather stand firm in our belief that our life is ideal or at least OK. Having some kooky class where we're yelled at for being clueless is just about the last thing we want to do. People hate (HATE!) to be wrong. These LGATs are all about digging up the ways that we're wrong. It's no mystery why people (like some on this board) would vociferously object to them. (With that said, please refer back to number one. I realize that these trainings are dangerous, too.)

3. And, most vehement of all are those people who made it part way. They went deep enough into an LGAT to experiencing some overbearing SOB yelling at them that they were deeply in self-delusion. But, they quit before they broke through to accepting that possiblity. Those folks need to destroy that LGAT. The alternative is to let the suggestion stand that their life story, their beliefs about their own life, are questionable. And, to make matters even worse, the LGAT and their loudmouth trainer are "soft targets." As mentioned, these people and organizations have their share of sickness. It's fairly easy to tear them down.

Anyway -- I've really enjoyed the chat. It's good to be reminded that there's a reasonable, opposing perspective that's worth weighing as we do this LGAT thing.

it is, of course, interesting what you are saying. I admit, that there might be value and accelerated learning in a large group of people. However, I got cynical on the way, at least about Landmark Education since its leaders are mainly focused on new recruits.

Do you think, though, good long-lasting results can be achieved in such an environment? contrary to the old practices like retreats for introspection, scientific results are also achieved in a reclusive environment and usually by a single person. I might be out of date but I am rather drawn to those spiritual practices.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: boonetahoe ()
Date: October 10, 2007 12:00AM

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Vic-Luc
You noticed how quickly boonetahoe bolted and said thanks for the chat when the pro-LE argument was advanced, and the logic didn't hold up?

Haven't bolted yet. Still here.

By the way, I've never experienced LE.

In response to MartinH, I have high confidence that long-lasting results can come out of the learning environs of the LGAT. In my mind, I know it for a fact. I've watched family and friends for a decade plus after their training.

A good chunk of the "growth" that's displayed right after a training is the by-product of a passing "peak experience" and it dissipates to some degree. But, I've also seen the long-term benefits as manifested in permanent life shifts and increased success in all areas of life.

(Again, I'm just as wary as anyone about the opportunity for abuse of that format. So, I'm not a blanket supporter of LGATs.)

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: Vic-Luc ()
Date: October 10, 2007 01:17AM

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boonetahoe
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Vic-Luc
You noticed how quickly boonetahoe bolted and said thanks for the chat when the pro-LE argument was advanced, and the logic didn't hold up?

Haven't bolted yet. Still here.

By the way, I've never experienced LE.

In response to MartinH, I have high confidence that long-lasting results can come out of the learning environs of the LGAT. In my mind, I know it for a fact.

Unfortuantely you can read. That IS sad. Because you could then reading the info knowing that what you know for "a fact," just isn't true.

Let us know how your data collection went, how you followed up, what the design structure looked like, was it long-term study, etc., and get back to us.

Otherwise, you just have an opinion based on others' opinions. THAT is a fact, but nothing else.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: ON2 LF ()
Date: October 10, 2007 06:08AM

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(Again, I'm just as wary as anyone about the opportunity for abuse of that format. So, I'm not a blanket supporter of LGATs.)

This statement reminds me of the ongoing rivalries that exist between LGATs, they all disagree with each other, criticize one another, and even point out the flaws in the rival LGAT, but at the end of the day, all LGATs use manipulative techniques to create what is often a placebo effect and they all use this effect to justify and promote their LGAT.

The surest and most consistent element to any LGAT is a diminshed respect or awareness of the vast differences between individual people and the differing needs of those people.
One size and one philosophy DOES NOT do the trick.

What an "authentic" LGAT Might look like
Posted by: Jack Oskar Larm ()
Date: October 10, 2007 08:51AM

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ON2 LF
One size and one philosophy DOES NOT do the trick.

That's my belief, too. ON2 LF, some really good responses! I think boonetahoe has found something that helps validate his/her journey. That's great, but it's obviously a bad strategy to post pro-LGAT stuff here. Always good to hear 'success' stories.

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