--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], "Irmeli Mattsson" < > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > That's what people in psychosis do also, as they are not capable of > > participating in the mutually shared reality in the society around. > > They create their own isolated private reality, which usually doesn't > > work, because we are not isolated entities and also because the > > reality check in these creations is very poor. > > What if the entire pricing structure of the TM movement is > a reflection of this "cannot handle the outside world" mentality? > > What if setting the price unreasonably high is a self-fulfilling > prophecy whose goal is to "prove" to those who are still > within the dream organization, and who consider themselves > elite because of this, that they really *are* elite? > > "See?" they can say to themselves, "the world isn't as evolved > as we are. *We* know that TM is worth any price. If they > can't see that, they just aren't very evolved, are they?" > > So the elite group becomes even more elite, its prejudices > about the "outside world" reinforced every time the outside > world rejects yet another stupid TM marketing scheme or > pronouncement. The less reality-based the marketing > approach, the more outlandish the pronouncement, the > better. If the whole purpose is to cause the "in group" to > draw ever more inward, to reject the outside world more > and more, to be able to identify with and get along with > only "one's own kind," then the *more* schemes and > pronouncements that are rejected by the outside world, > the better. Every rejection becomes a reinforcement of > how lowvibe and unevolved the world is; every rejection > becomes a perceived indicator or how special and evolved > those who still believe in these schemes are. > > I think it's worth pondering the marketing efforts of the TM > movement over the last few years as having been carefully > calculated to *shrink* the movement rather than grow it. > The whole idea may be to create a group of people who > can *only* function within such an artificial world, and who > thus have a vested interest in perpetuating it.
**** The phenomenon could also be looked at from the angle of narcissism: A narcissist doesn't actually love himself. He loves the impression other people reflect back to him of himself. A narcissist has an unhealthy need of adulation and admiration and lacks in capacity for empathy. Continuous manipulation and striving for a position, where you are can control of others, is needed in order to get this adulation. A narcissist needs to feel himself irreplaceable and best and he doesn't avoid lying to show others, how talented he is. Often his superiority is so high, that ordinary people cannot understand it. He considers himself to be beyond and above common rules and agreements. In relationships he is a taker and user, who draws to himself, what he needs. He doesn't care about the feelings of others, doesn't appreciate their insights and cannot handle criticism. He wants to keep his private life secret and lies about it. The use of money is not rational. He makes the decisions for others. He is not willing to discuss opinions and is not capable of being in a real dialogue. The lack of compassion is replaced by admiration of power and striving after it. If the omnipotent and self-satisfied self-image would fail in a set-back, he can collapse to serious depression. These people don't bend, they break down. Therefore if his infallibility is threatened, he tries to create an even more omnipotent image of himself. It is understandable that a person in this situation goes to extremes, if the other option is total collapse and possibly suicide. Although I think that it could also be possible in a cult setting to work through one's narcissism and get beyond the ego or false-self. You must see a structure in yourself, before you can work through it. The extreme forms in a cult can make those structures visible. Irmeli To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
