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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: Cosmophilospher ()
Date: April 23, 2005 06:13AM

What a mess.
It seems pretty obvious that Landmark is about breaking up relationships if they do not submit to Landmark.
Then they get 100% of this woman's time. Then they get to take over her life. Maybe then she starts dating the Landmark manager?
It would not surprise me.

Obviously, i don't know the details. But I do feel sorry for this woman. She sounds so insecure and destabilized.
To go running to your Landmark Leader for personal relationship advice?
How sick is that? It sounds like she has completely lost her own sense of Self.
I hope one day this woman doesn't end up in a total breakdown.

Well, several of my friends got into Landmark, and the friendships ended. They would not quit with it.

Personally, i could never date someone involved with one of these types of cults.
Why bother?
There are many non-cult people out there, and life is much easier that way.

I met a girl a while back who was into SGI. I told her pretty much straight up that it was a type of cult, and i had no interest in it. She still wanted to see me, but i just let her go.
I don't want to try and "deprogram" someone to date them.
And a cult is not like having a different religion.
The cult disrupts personal relationships.

Who knows, maybe she will get pushed to her limit, and then break away from Landmark at some point?
But it sounds like they almost totally control her now...

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: need2know ()
Date: April 23, 2005 11:44PM

after reading your post, and the replies, i think it is so sad that this happens. ive been dating someone in a "mens group", similar goals, ("peace, love, and make money for the leaders!") and i have been trting to understand, stay distanced, and maintain a relationouship.

it doesnt seem like thats possible with ppl that invovled as yor gf and my bf. i make no headway, and youre right, the communication part is a one way street! it was enlightening to read. good luck!

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: midonov123 ()
Date: April 24, 2005 10:57PM

The situation has evolved somewhat. My Landmark girlfriend now puts me in this situation. Our relationship can continue if I promise I will never say anything negative again about Landmark. This is because she loves what she is doing, she chooses to do it and she will not stop doing it. In counterpart, she promises she will never ask me to do the Landmark Forum again. This looks like a fair deal, but I wonder if it makes any sense.

I then continue by explaining that I am not saying anything bad about Landmark (I’m walking on eggshells), but that I am only trying to share my concerns about the “influence” this may have on our relationship. She seems to accept the fact that Landmark has a strong “influence” on her, so that’s a good starting point for me. It has a similar meaning to saying Landmark is “manipulative”, but if I was to use that word instead, she would stop right there and say she doesn’t want to hear about anything.

So, from what I understand, the first step in the right direction is to be careful in our choice of wording. So we agree that:

- Landmark has a strong “influence” on your/our life.

This is where I am standing now. Next I need to explain about my concerns.

She says she is prepared to listen to my concerns if it’s about my own health or the health of my children. I indicated it is also about having a healthy relationship and open communication and she didn’t protest.

I am now exploring how I can clearly identify these concerns with a choice of wording that will be acceptable to her.

Some of my concerns are as follows:

- Because of her continuing participation in Landmark (she is now taking the Seminar Leader Program), she receives coaching on a regular basis, participates in events, leads introduction, etc… This is disturbing to me because I am under the impression that she is “working for free” for Landmark and that she is being exploited. This concern is not valid since it has no direct consequences on my own health or that of my children.
- My other concern is that this organization put pressure on their trainees to recruit more members (to enroll people in taking the Landmark Forum) and that all their “education” is about sharing their doctrine with others (comes down to recruiting). It is a pyramidal structure that infiltrates the family and workplace and it’s also about money (of course it’s a business). But again, this is not a valid concern, and she will not listen to this.

Of course, I could continue with a list of testimonies of people whose lives have been turned upside down etc…or the excellent report by Dr. Jean-Marie Abgraal (the French psychiatrist whose negative report was never published by Landmark), but these are just opinions of others and she will not listen to that. I understand her position, and I’ve been struggling with myself over the past few weeks to try and understand why I am being so righteous about my own opinion. After all, it is me who is driving me sick about Landmark by reading all this negative stuff and forging my own opinion based on other’s experience. I agree that this approach of mine may be inadequate and I accept part of the responsibility for getting sick over this. But don’t worry folks, I am not giving in. During the past couple of days, this is what I have discovered that could make a difference (I still need to communicate this to her … and I don’t know what her reaction will be) in the way I communicate with her.

In order for her to listen to my “concerns”, I have to put it in such a way that it’s only about my own health and the health of my children (I will not mention my children again, since they are not affected … and hopefully never will be). So this is what I have to say about the negative effect Landmark has on me.

“Resisting the Landmark enrollment is draining my energy and driving me sick, physically and mentally”

Also,

“I am afraid that in the long run it will have the same effect on my children, my family and my friends”.

I know she will reply that it is me who is driving me sick by reading all the negative stuff and by my righteousness to resist, not Landmark, and that I am running a “racket”.

Now (here’s the catch), trying to resist this last argument drives me even sicker, and there is no apparent end to this spiral. So that’s the fundamental problem for me that is affecting my life and psyche. The only way out of this is either to give in to Landmark (become a Landmarkian) or to reject the doctrine without any further discussion (running my racket). Of course, I will choose the latter, and in conclusion, I think there can be no relationship. I am being righteous, and she is being righteous, but we are on opposite sides. But what is inconsistent is she will say I am running a racket, but she is not. And this is driving me sick again.

Let me conclude by a little “logical analysis” of mine over the Landmark doctrine which explains why it doesn’t compute inside my own head and why it's driving me sick.

I think it is a fair assumption to say that the core principle behind the Landmark logical system is this:

G = “To say that the Landmark doctrine is a racket IS a racket”

This means that, “The Landmark doctrine cannot be a racket. Everything else can be”

The problem is that the formula G cannot be demonstrated (this is not an exact science). It must be accepted as the being the truth without any questioning (no critical thinking). If you accept G as being the truth, you will not listen to anything negative about Landmark because you see it as being a racket.

So,

G = “To say that the Landmark doctrine is a racket IS a racket”

cannot be demonstrated means that the negation of G,

Neg(G) = “To say that the Landmark doctrine is a racket IS NOT a racket”

cannot be demonstrated either. I think it is fair to say we cannot prove our position either and it explains why, no matter how hard we try, we will never convince a Landmarkian that we are not running a racket when saying something negative about Landmark. You have to choose where you stand, and you cannot be in both camps at the same time, because you are running into a paradox. And this is why people are fighting so much and why relationships break down.

But here is a way out of this paradox. It is well know from the Godel theorem that when a formula G and it’s negation Neg(G) cannot be demonstrated, it’s because the basic set of axioms that defines the system are incomplete or inconsistent. That is a mathematical theorem that was “proven” by Godel in his 1931 publication, and this cannot be questioned. It is a law of nature and a mathematical truth.

Based on this, one must conclude that the

H = “Landmark’s logical system is incomplete or inconsistent”.

Note that formula H “is not and cannot be a racket” because of Godel’s theorem. The Landmark community has no choice but to accept formula H unless they can prove formula G which they cannot. But of course, they will not listen to this because it’s negative. This is a typical reaction coming from a cult.

This is my explanation as to why Landmark is such a brain teaser and why it is driving logical minds to go crazy. And this is why it is so unhealthy for me and my Cartesian mind.

I am not sure my Landmark friend will see some enlightenment in all of this, but I hope some of you who are reading this will.


Thanks.

Micheal D.

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: ULTAWARE ()
Date: April 25, 2005 09:53AM

mindonov123,

Man, you seem to be in the closet situation to what I went thru with my wife of 22 y=ears...we were true "soulmates". in order to keep boredom away I'll just be short....after 1 LEC FOR-'em [ (;-) ] weekend we (our lives together)became the proverbial top-o-mountain sliding snowball - similar to the things you have been experiencing.

Now, after my loss, it seems that you are on the right path of response, but most importantly, she is STILL reaching out/connecting to you in some way...I would suggest that you constantly reaffirm that connection at EVERY opportunity...This is strong stuff....I had always thought during those 22 years how lucky I really was to have found a woman who really could/would/did love me and then have it taken away at a finger-snap weekend...if you would like to talk more, feel free to e-m me....

As time goes on I feel compelled to throw this out again....if anyone would
like to discuss a poss. civil suit we need to discuss it on my e-mail, not hear.. Moderator is that comment ok with you?

P A X

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: midonov123 ()
Date: April 26, 2005 01:09AM

Quote
ULTAWARE
As time goes on I feel compelled to throw this out again....if anyone would
like to discuss a poss. civil suit we need to discuss it on my e-mail, not hear.. Moderator is that comment ok with you?

P A X

Pax,

I am not a lawyer, but I don't think we have a case here. Although it is suffering to loose someone we love to the hand of an organization or a group of individuals, I have not suffered any physical or psychological damages resulting from my participation in LEC since I did not participate. Also, I cannot file a lawsuit in the name of my girfriend saying she is under the influence of LEC. She will simply opposes it, and it's not my business.

I think a lawsuit is possible only if the participant (victim) files a comlaint for personal damage resulting from his participation in LEC, or perhaps the immediate family (like you and your wife) if the participant (your wife) has suffered severe psychological damages to the point where she cannot assume her own life anymore (like permanent psychosis), or has commited suicide or murder. Of course at that point, it's already too late to repair any damage.

Michael D

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: Toni ()
Date: April 27, 2005 12:38PM

Hi UltAware:

Yes, you are right about the ongoing reaching out. Yes, it is important to continue to be there for them and supportive.
But, IMHO, a person can only do that for so long.

After a couple of years, for me, with the other person was still sucked in and occassionally reaching out, it was just too very hard and painful to continue to be upbeat and supportive while he was with multiple other women, lying to me with a sweet smile, while giving gifts and sweet talking, etc.
I had to cut off all contact from my side, and ask him to stop contacting me. I had to go on. It hurt. Mostly it hurt because of concern for his wellbeing, and that I was giving up on seeing him well ever again.

My own emotional survival and sanity was at stake. Too much chaos, for me and my children. I couldn't save him, I tried and failed. Had to focus on my famiy and me.

Tragic.

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: Aioh ()
Date: April 28, 2005 03:42AM

Midonov, thanks for your reply to my post and I will return the favor. :D

These people are using sophism. In its purest form. It's clear to see that, they are using code that will destroy a persons logic (your if g, no other is so old its greek). The only way you can change someone who has been trauamatized by something like this is to shatter their malformed logic...but to do that you have to bring about evidence so tangible to them (in otherwords it has to stimulate the amygdala in a way that was stronger then their sophism) before you can even express the idea that if g>no g, g=0. In otherwords, if you HAVE to except G, that means that G is absolute, which does not exist. You are fighting a fight that Plato, hypocrates, and many others have been fighting over the course of thousands of years. I really can't tell you what you can do, my mom and my old sister are lost to these people right now and im trying to save my little sister. The best I can do is shield her mind with logic the best I can...but shes only 13...your logic is not there at such a young age. These people are our families...our loved ones...our heartbeat...turned into the very thing that can devour our minds...how grivous a situation indeed.

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: ULTAWARE ()
Date: April 28, 2005 12:07PM

midonov123 (hope I got that correct_if not I apologize!)

civil suits are created by groups of individuals who feel that they have been "wronged" legally in the US in a similar way by s similar legal entity...so it is possible to try to apply legal bumble bees to cult-technique-using entities, which seems the only sensory thing that they listen to (perhaps why they truly might only be interested in $$$$$$E$ ?????) I'm sure you are able to read between those lines!

I feel that Barracudas like LEC exist because of the way our global socities are set up (now - US _ have vs. have-nots(working - slaves/taxpayers)

Anyway....I feel that there are mucho folks out there that have had their lives affected by the LEC techniques but have no idea what to do (I personaly have run across people who were going/went - thru what I did/

"self improvement but they all come out hte same like "little boxes" now how could that be????????????

Enuf fior now...

Thank you moderator for your indulgence.....PAX (French for .....?)

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: ULTAWARE ()
Date: April 28, 2005 12:13PM

midonov123 (hope I got that correct_if not I apologize!)

civil suits are created by groups of individuals who feel that they have been "wronged" legally in the US in a similar way by s similar legal entity...so it is possible to try to apply legal bumble bees to cult-technique-using entities, which seems the only sensory thing that they listen to (perhaps why they truly might only be interested in $$$$$$E$ ?????) I'm sure you are able to read between those lines!

I feel that Barracudas like LEC exist because of the way our global socities are set up (now - US _ have vs. have-nots(working - slaves/taxpayers)

Anyway....I feel that there are mucho folks out there that have had their lives affected by the LEC techniques but have no idea what to do (I personaly have run across people who were going/went - thru what I did/

"self improvement but they all come out hte same like "little boxes" now how could that be????????????

Enuf fior now...

Thank you moderator for your indulgence.....PAX (French for .....?)

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My friend wants to become a Forum leader but I hate LE.
Posted by: midonov123 ()
Date: May 03, 2005 03:05AM

I have decided to stop arguing about LEC with my girlfriend because I know she will never want to listen to any of the facts she calls my “interpretation”. I’ve decided to wait until she pops out of it by herself (it seems to be the only way, isn’t it?).

But here are two quotations from my girlfriend after we’ve been fighting about LEC lately as reported in my previous posts:

She said,

“It’s amazing that the reason why we were fighting (LEC) is actually what enabled us to resolve the problem.”

She continued by saying,

“it’s the best thing (LEC) that can happen to you in your life, you just don’t know it yet.”

This is just unbelievable !!! I didn’t say anything, because I know it’s no use and I don’t want to fight over this stupid thing anymore. But of course, I see her coming again and again and again and again ...

What this tells me is I need to be patient or keep my distances. I will not live with a Landmarkian, for she will drive me crazy. But of course, if that happens (going crazy because of LEC), LEC will be there to save me. I’m getting sick again ...

I wish she could pop out of it, but it seems very unlikely.

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