Rereading Xeno's post in which he referenced the Wiki page on Ad Hominem, I got to the bottom and started scanning the titles of some of the 2006 posts that got attached to it. To my surprise, there was one of mine at the bottom that I still not only agree with but feel is still relevant. THE most important factor in dealing with anyone who was ever involved with a heavy-commitment spiritual trip like the TM movement is how they react to the word "cult." You learn enough from their reaction to that simple word to need no further information when deciding whether they're worth getting into discussions with.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "geezerfreak" <geezerfreak@> > wrote: > > > > And the TBs of TM are, without a shred of doubt, > > living in a cult. > > I agree, but I'll add another dimension to it. > > As you say, the point is not in recognizing that > one has been part of a cult, but in getting *past* > the cult mindset. And one can do that and still > feel positively about the group, or even still > work for the group. > > IMO the first step of that process is being able > to say the word, and apply it to oneself without > fear and aversion and anger. > > I find that when I meet someone who spent a long > time in a spiritual trip like the TMO (or the Rama > trip, or many others), one of the key indicators > as to whether I will be able to get along with them > or not is how they relate to that word "cult." The > bottom line for me has always been the same: > > -- If they get angry and defensive and say, > "No it wasn't a cult," I know that we're > never going to be able to get along. They > are still involved in protecting some silly > notion of self, and are not likely to be > able to get past that long enough to have > any serious fun. > > -- If they can say, "Sure, it was a cult," and > LAUGH, there is a potential friendship there. > The people I find that it's fun to be with > are able to say, "Cult? No problem...of *course* > it was a cult...but I learned a lot and had a > lot of fun." They have left behind any part of > self that isn't comfortable admitting that > they were once part of a cult. > > What's the big deal about admitting that one was > part of a cult, after all? *Everybody* does some > stupid shit in one's life. The smart ones move > past the stupid shit, while IMO the dumb ones > prolong the stupid shit by denying for years (or > even decades) that they bought into it.
