--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sharelong60" <sharelong60@...> wrote: > > When I referred to all organizations I was addressing the context beyond yet > including the TMO. > > I also have had confrontations, conflicts, etc. with TMO. Whether or not > they were harsher than what others experienced, I don't know because I wasn't > present at those. And I don't choose to go into details of my own situations > because it wouldn't further the discussion and because I am at peace with the > various incidents.
It also might bring some heat your way that you want to avoid. Fair enough. > > I am at peace with the various incidents mainly because I see the TMO like > all organizations and all individuals: it has its strengths and its flaws. > So yes, I focus on what's good and leave the rest. This is very convenient but doesn't bring about change. Thank God others stronger and braver than myself have not chosen to follow this path throughout history or ours would be a very different and indifferent world. >And it is my belief that my being in the Dome is good for myself and for others. So that is how I continue with the TMO. Is the effect of your program less if you are practicing it in your own room two blocks down the road but at the same time as the dome meditation? In other words, do you have to be in the same geographic location as everyone else for it to be effective? > > And as I said before, I see it as my being a plain sidha or grace or some > combo of the two, that, for example, I wasn't questioned when I came back to > the Dome after a 7 year absence. I don't see it or any of the other > treatment I received as a privilege which is what Ann calls it. Btw, in my > book her calling it a privilege is being more than descriptive and > declarative. It is ignoring what I actually said. No, I you misunderstood what I was referring to. I was speaking about the "privilege" being the opportunity to meditate in the Dome, not that you were treated less harshly. I did not mean that you were privileged. > > I also agree that one should stand up for what is right. And I have done > that in at least one of my official capacities at MUM. I didn't agree with > the leaders and I said so to help another. Did you feel that by standing up to the leaders this might have threatened your status or rights as a meditator with regard to access to the Dome? Did this stand you took hold within it the possibility that you would be kicked out of either the Movement or off campus? > > Going to the Dome is self serving in the sense that it is beneficial for the > individual. But it is also beneficial for others. And it's not always > comfortable for the individual going to the Dome. In what way is it not comfortable to go to the Dome? You mean doing your program is un-stressy and unpleasant? > > Nor do I agree that by going to the Dome I am giving the green light to heavy > handed tactics or unreasonable forces. Actually I believe that by going to > the Dome we all help each other grow beyond the need for such. Because I > believe this, the real compromise would be if I didn't go to the Dome. Maybe it is easier to believe in non-concrete, theoretical ideas than it is to deal with hands on situations that require action and talking and even fighting. It is easy to pay lip service to purported but unsubstantiated positive effects of meditating and hopping and claim that by doing these things it will solve all the other problems created by heavy handed Movement law enforcers. > > And if someone wants my help confronting the TMO, I am willing to hear their > story and help if it be in alignment with my core values to do so. Pretty general statement here. It is a complex subject and you would have to reveal your core values before I could know what you are really saying. But I'll bet they have something to do with respecting people's rights and allowing them to pursue happiness. Bottom line Share, I think you are willing to tolerate some injustices done to others so that you can continue doing what you like doing. As long as you do not have your privileges revoked you are happy to let things stand as they are. You are I are quite different. > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "emilymae.reyn" <emilymae.reyn@> wrote: > > > > Share, this is an example of another type of response - a descriptive and > > declarative statement by Ann, on Ann's point of view where the question is > > tossed around in a larger, if you will, arena, than just the "TMO rules" > > and gets to the question of "at what point is compromise worth the price?" > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoelflebater <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn <emilymae.reyn@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Of course, org's are composed of people.  Does a 'few good people' > > > > mean that you compromise your core value system to continue if you find > > > > it at odds? > > > > > > Excellent question and one I was just going to elaborate on before I read > > > this comment of yours Emily. It is fine and dandy to say one is sorry for > > > others being given a hard time but in Share's case she says she had been > > > "spared" more rigorous questioning on her other practices as they relate > > > to being allowed in the Dome etc. My problem with this is that by > > > valuing one's privilege of being less aggressively challenged than others > > > while at the same time having access to the Domes is very self-serving in > > > a way that, for me, compromises many things. It essentially gives the > > > green light to what I see are heavy handed and short-sighted tactics by > > > the TM movement. I see it as endorsing police-state mentality by tacitly > > > going along with how things are run on campus/within the Movement and by > > > the powers that be. I think there is a limit to what one should allow to > > > happen even though one still wants the privilege of engaging in > > > activities which are governed by such powers. There comes a point when > > > the compromises are not worth the price. But, again, I have addressed > > > this issue before and perhaps it is easy for me to be so self-righteous > > > in this instance since meditating and hopping around a foam-lined > > > building does not rate in my top ten choice of activities and thus it > > > would be easy for me to make a stand against "authority" in this case. On > > > the other hand, knowing myself as I do, I rather think I would rebel. I > > > have a rather perverse need to counteract immovable and unreasonable > > > forces. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > From: Share Long <sharelong60@> > > > > To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > > > Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 10:33 AM > > > > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Fw: The Science of Compassion, for > > > > Wednesday > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > Jason, it's my experience that in every organization there are at least > > > > a few good people. Michael, I had a similar interview to yours. I > > > > am so sorry you were given such a hard time. I admire how you handled > > > > the situation.  > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > From: Jason <jedi_spock@> > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 4:05 AM > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Fw: The Science of Compassion, for > > > > Wednesday > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > > You know, all these cults and religions have his 'shit herd' > > > > mentality. I am thankfull that I never lived inside any > > > > cult or org. Being on the outside gave me a 'ringside view' > > > > of a spectrum of these things. I talk to a lot of people > > > > who are in cults and get an idea of what is happening > > > > inside. You are better off alone. > > > > > > > > All these orgs and cults are inhabited by such bureaucratic, > > > > pedantic, dicactic, dogmatic, zombie bots. > > > > > > > > --- Michael Jackson <mjackson74@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. I quit going > > > > > to the Dome when I was on staff due to a really serious allergy to > > > > > formaldehyde, which in those days at least was a major component in > > > > > making foam. > > > > > The longer I was in the Dome, the worse I felt. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > So I stopped > > > > > going. I did program by myself in my pod room and felt great both in > > > > > and out of > > > > > program. As twice a day in the Dome was part of the staff program, I > > > > > was called > > > > > in to the Personnel Director's office (Bill Sands) and he gave me a > > > > > serious > > > > > talk and threatened me with dismissal if I didn't start toeing the > > > > > line. > > > > > > > > > > I told him about the allergy and he said it didn't matter, > > > > > rules were rules. I showed him the letter I had from my allergy > > > > > doctor (Allen > > > > > Lieberman in Charleston SC) saying that I had to avoid formaldehyde > > > > > exposure. Bill > > > > > said it still didn't matter. Rules were rules. No exceptions. > > > > > > > > > > So I returned to the Dome and after a couple days started > > > > > feeling like crap again. So I thought about things and decided to > > > > > write a > > > > > letter to then TM Sidhi Administrator Greg Wilson and told him my > > > > > story and > > > > > sent him a copy of the letter from my allergy doctor. > > > > > A > > > > > nd a couple weeks later to my surprise he wrote me a letter > > > > > back giving me permission to do program in my room, tho he suggested > > > > > that I > > > > > might consider serving MIU in some other capacity since Dome > > > > > attendance was > > > > > part of staff program. So I quit going to the Dome again. > > > > > > > > > > A couple weeks went by and I was called into Bill Sands office > > > > > again, with my letters in my pocket. After he gave me hell and pretty > > > > > much told > > > > > me my time at MIU was over, I told him I had permission from Greg > > > > > Wilson and > > > > > showed him my letter, or rather a copy of it, I wisely had the > > > > > original in my > > > > > room. > > > > > > > > > > Bill was completely discombobulated and hemmed and hawed and > > > > > puffed and blustered but had to back down, but he didn't like it. So > > > > > I went > > > > > back to doing program in my room and had great experiences and was > > > > > much more > > > > > effective in activity for about eight months until Bill found a way > > > > > to get rid > > > > > of me. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > > From: Buck <dhamiltony2k5@> > > > > > Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 12:52 PM > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Fw: The Science of Compassion, for > > > > > Wednesday > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > > This being Compassionate Posting Wednesday on FFL where ne'er a > > > > > negative word is written, I am not going to go on at all about just > > > > > how stoopid and undeserving it is that meditators who even live in > > > > > Fairfield do not come to the group meditation. No, I'll save that > > > > > for tomorrow and then may be also consider the fallen away and > > > > > outright meditation quitters out in the world too; all those who have > > > > > fell off the meditation wagon and even walked away entirely. I am > > > > > excercising a lot of compassion for them all right now today, > > > > > -Buck in the Dome > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
