--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
<snip>
> GP: "...the guru's message turns pessimistic or doomsday,
> voicing something like this: Soon civilization is going
> to break down and face amazing disasters -- except for
> us, who are wisely withdrawing to protect ourselves
> and retain our purity."
>
> What *else* is Sharalyn's/Roses' message if not an appeal
> to this mindset?
Barry's rant reminds me of Trancenet's John Knapp
putting out hysterical "press releases" describing
one of MMY's projects to start centers to teach TM
in third-world communities as TMers withdrawing
into the jungle to await the apocalypse, a la
Jonestown.
Obviously GP's description here doesn't apply any
more than Knapp's did. MMY's "message" isn't about
the protection of TMers, it's about the protection
of the United States (and by implication of the rest
of the world). He hasn't been anything but wildly
optimistic about this "withdrawal" having the
potential to *avert* disaster.
> Its entire language is in terms of the
> subjective benefit for the person who butt-bounces, *not*
> for the world at large. The closest she gets to talking
> about benefits for the world is a kind of psychotic
> "taking credit" for crashing a plane because MUM people
> didn't do program one day
Actually she references benefits for the world several
times:
"We watched the stock market and world news go up and
down, depending upon our numbers....Today, with more
flyers coming in to help protect America and the world,
we are again feeling those waves....The place where
you can find the most silence is the same place you
can help create peace for the world."
(an event that Rick suggests
> didn't even happen; they *did* do program that day, so
> her version of events seems to be just a retrospective
> rewriting of history to make herself and the buttbouncers
> seem more important).
Barry would like to have it both ways: If she talks
about what the course will do for the world, she's
psychotically self-important; if she *doesn't* talk
about what the course will do for the world, she's
psychotically self-important.
> The bottom line is that SH/RD's article is an appeal
> to *self*. The language is totally subjective, full of
> "I's"
Yes, it's a *personal reminiscence*, for pete's sake.
> and designed to appeal to the "I" in the reader and
> to the reader's emotionality.
<snip>
> Also notice that there is not ONE WORD in the entire
> article about doing this buttbouncing for the benefit of
> others, to help the world.
Barry has apparently forgotten he made exactly the
same (erroneous) point already.
So let's correct the error again:
"We watched the stock market and world news go up and
down, depending upon our numbers....Today, with more
flyers coming in to help protect America and the world,
we are again feeling those waves....The place where
you can find the most silence is the same place you
can help create peace for the world."
Funny how Barry sees only what he wants to see.
*Everything* is stated in
> terms of what it can do for the person doing the butt-
> bouncing, and what it feels like to be part of such an
> elite and superior group. The appeal is to "come join us"
> as we huddle in our domes ("the best place, possibly the
> safest place, in the world")and have 'good experiences'
> while the world goes to hell in a handbasket.
No, so the world *won't* go to hell in a handbasket.
> No WONDER they're having trouble getting people to go
> there and do their programs there! If this article is
> their idea of how to "inspire" people, they've really
> lost sight of the whole *purpose* of spiritual development,
> which IMO is and always was to help others and to help
> the world, *not* to increase the self and feed its
> delusions of grandeur.
As noted, in fact she *does* reference helping others
and helping the world.
Most of the appeals to come to the course so far have
made a huge deal about the potential for helping the
world. As we know, appeals on that basis haven't been
terribly successful. Many of them have also talked
about the wonderful experiences people were having,
but they've still been mostly about the global
benefit.
Her piece focuses instead on the personal benefit one
can obtain *at the same time as* one is creating global
benefit.
Assuming one believes in the value of the practice
to individuals as well as its value to the world,
both types of appeal are entirely legitimate. If
one type hasn't been a roaring success, it makes
perfect sense to take a crack at making the other
type.
As usual, Barry has to stand on his head to find
a way of putting down TMers/the TMO/MMY, even if the
putdown is completely illogical.
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