duxdeluxe:

You support other LGATs such as Sterling Institute of Relationship, how is Justin Sterling accountable?

On other threads you have apologized for other LGATs and even endorsed them, why not Landmark?

IMO -- Sterling as an LGAT weekend is potentially as damaging or more damaging than Landmark Education Forum.

Rick,

I don't "support" the Sterling weekend. All I said was I got value out of it and knew a lot of others who did as well. I could write a book on all the things I disagree with about what SIR does and the way they do it but it still gave me a unique space to step outside of my 9-5 life. I certainly never implied Justin was accountable. I have found him to be anything but. But so what? Accountability is a hard characteristic to find in anyone, just look at US politics.


The Men's weekend is defintely not for everyone. Neither is sky diving but I l've jumped out of airplanes and get why other people do it passionately.

In my mind the key is in knowing what you are stepping into so that you can actually get value as opposed to being blindsided by a well orchestrated weekend.

I am just not ready to step into the "all organizations are bad camp". I am not a big fan of paternalism or the notion that a good or bad experience for one person guarentees the same result for everyone else. I certainly don't think it is for me to tell anyone what they should or should not do. All I can hope to do is offer my personal experience and hope they utilize that in their effort to decide what is best for them.

In a related note, you will be glad to hear that there is a rumor that Sterling will no longer be doing weekends on he East Coast. Apparently he was having trouble filling them.

duxdeluxe:

LGATs are not election politics within a democratic republic or the sport of skydiving, LGATs are essentially group therapy without professional licensing requirements run by unlicensed people that often expect you to sign waivers before beginning relinquishing certain civil rights regarding recourse in the case of personal injury.

No accountability indeed.

We have been through this before on another thread where you defended Sterling.

See [forum.culteducation.com]

On another thread you admitted that you are active member of MDI, which is a group with ties to Sterling.

See [forum.culteducation.com]

Sterling is a very controversial LGAT that has hurt many people.

Justin Sterling is not a marriage and family therapist or qualified to provide any relationship counseling through any training.

You say Sterling is "not for everyone."

IMO -- the Sterling is not for anyone.

That is, for anyone that takes the time to research the company, and critically considers the safer alternatives readily available, e.g. continuing education, counseling from a licensed professional, sitting down for a talk with family, close friends, a trusted past personal mentor, or your clergyman.

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duxdeluxe
I know, it can be irritating, the intro leders feel they are special because they were chosen to lead the intros.

The funny thing about Landmark is that for an organization that prides itself in "authenticity" I have found zero accountability from the leadership. It is also not terribly authentic. I went to a friends graduation a few weeks ago. He had the same Forum leader I had had 10 years eariler. I was struck by how her spiels was virtually identical to waht she had said at my graduation. I literally knew the next words that were coming out of her mouth. 10 years had gone by and no growth? No new insights. Just a rote "inspiratinal" sales pitch. How authentic is that?

Just keep getting your buddy to look at the cracks but do it with out judging. The key is to get him to acknowledge that his ego is driving him to want to move up the Landmark foodchain. If he responds that it is about helping others, ask him how much of him is in the help he is giving and how much is him just regurgitating what Landmark has given him to say?

Speaking of forum leaders, i can describe my friends forum leader like this, "cult of personality, " a false prophet", he teaches people "what to think", not how to think. Very scary

" I went to a friends graduation a few weeks ago. He had the same Forum leader I had had 10 years eariler. I was struck by how her spiels was virtually identical to waht she had said at my graduation. I literally knew the next words that were coming out of her mouth. 10 years had gone by and no growth? No new insights. Just a rote "inspiratinal" sales pitch. How authentic is that? " END OF QOUTE

Forum leaders are stuck in a role they can't get out of. They train by imitation. They imitate Werner Erhard. They have no ideas of their own.

I know that some of the forum leaders after a while get fed up with this - maybe the quit (not easy to accomplish) and start their own LGAT.

If you want to quit being a forum leader all other forum leaders will start to harass you to intimidate you to stay. They must defend themselves and their thought system.

Some forum leaders have quit. I would love to hear their story. Unfortunately they are silenced by legally binding contracts so we will probably not hear from them.

I get the feeling that the "training" that forum leaders get is actually on how to be a perfect clone of Werner. Hence the exact measurements of name tags, seating etc.

For whatever reason, nobody on staff actually understands (or is allowed to understand) the mechanism of Landmark Education forums. Maybe that is all that you can realistically achieve with human robots.

Please correct me if I am off the mark here.

John

Just wanted to let everyone know my "friend" has quit the LGAT he was currently in. He made it to the first wkend in Leadership course and he now says hes done with it and not going back. He says its all about enrollment and he's sick of all the pressure to enroll others. (duh, like I told him would happen). I sent him alot of links to read from this site, and I have a feeling he may have done some research (though he wont admit). Im just glad he's out and hopefully stays out.

That's fantastic news.

Don't forget to threaten to enroll him in Amway if he ever does something like that again!

:-)

John

I have a Matt update. Now he refuses to talk about his relationship with his girlfriend of 3 years. I asked how she was yesterday and he went off on a landmark fit. Saying how he need to be in "Control" of the relationship and that she can only hang out with his friends once in a while.

I guess she spilled her guts to one of his friends about the relationship and he got pissed.

Landmark teaches control? That you have to have the last say so in everything and anything?

Heh heh. Ask him if - by any chance - Landmark helps with stress levels. :-P

John