THINK ABOUT IT
The Landmark Forum
Guidelines: Protect Yourself from Brainwash
I’m not sure one can really protect oneself completely from thorough brainwash.
But there are measures you can take to make it through without turning into a mental
zombie, should you decide to dive in and try. Forum people will say this will ruin the
experience. I say: "If the Forum is so meaningful and deep, it should survive
critical thinking". Critical thinking is not negative thinking. It keeps the mind
alert to things such as "Dogshit metaphysics" (words of Werner Erhard - Founder
of EST, later to evolve into The Landmark Forum).
Here are a few tips:
1. If you don’t want to attend the Forum, simply say "no, thank you" and end the discussion. Landmark people, some of them are well trained experts of persuasion, will tire your senses into compliance. Some of them are damn good, I must say, and their techniques are awesome - my own experience.
2. Go to the lavatory whenever you feel like it. Do not let your body enter a hurtful physical state.
3. Bring food and drink, you might not be provided with enough.
4. If you like chewing gum, great. Chewing helps you from lapsing into numbness, which is the enemy of the critical mind.
5. Even at the price of losing precious information, take a short break every 45 minutes or so. Do not deny your mind from proper rest.
6. Don’t clap hands or do anything just because you see other people doing so. Generally, participate in group activities, only as an INDIVIDUAL. Remember, just because you hear applause, doesn’t mean it was good for you.
7. Try to differentiate between meaningful information and slogans.
8. Try not to take it personally when you see other people confess about their innermost secrets. It makes you susceptible to confess about things you’ll be sorry you exposed. Ultimately, it might make you vulnerable.
9. Observe instances where philosophy turns into pure business ("Tell you friends and family" etc).
10. Not everything the Forum sells is itself, or some metaphysical bullshit. You may find interesting and beneficial observations amidst the sea of crap. Fish out the beneficial information and take it into notice.
And remember, It’s natural to have doubts. You have the right to not comply with the ideas of the Forum. It’s ok to go to the toilet every once in a while.
ANY HEY, BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!
G
My "Reader's Respone" page (you've all been waiting for...)
URBM - my other site (a new and improved extension on these subjects)
The Official Landmark Education page
The Skeptic's Dictionary Entry on what was formerly known as EST