Just as many contributors and commenters at TM-Free attempt to explain their disillusionment with TM, Maharishi, and the TMO, I thought it would be interesting to explore how and why I became fascinated and involved with the TM-Free blog, and some of the ways that it has been beneficial for me.
I've touched on my own history with the TM movement in the column to the right, and after a 20-year hiatus in which I had no contact whatsoever with movement activities, when I returned I was curiously excited by all the new programs that had been introduced. My biggest disappointments were the absence of "heart" in the movement and the deluge of solicitations for funds coming from every direction. (Interestingly enough, during my former involvement, I proudly told everyone that one of the things that set our movement apart from others was that we didn't beg for money.)
I spent some time after 9/11 rounding in the dome at MUM (formerly MIU) where I heard movement leaders such as John Hagelin make promises that couldn't possibly be kept. As doubts arose, I began looking for answers and came across John Knapp's TranceNet, Mike Doughney's MINet, and Joe Kellett's "Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole". What is it with the fascination a person like myself has when reading for the first time severe criticisms about something with which they were and are still involved? (Apparently, I had also missed these defections from the movement during my hiatus.) I voyeuristically read it all, eventually ending up at the TM-Free blog that, from all outward appearances, offered something that the other three sites didn't – free expression of ideas and an opportunity for discussion.
When one first arrives at a blog like TM-Free, everyone's writing appears so fresh and new perhaps because you're reading it for the first time and can't yet discern the underlying patterns (repetitiveness, proselytizing, etc.) or motives in what has been written. There's also an overall feeling to the blog that hasn't yet revealed itself. After lurking to get a feel for the various contributors and commenters, I felt comfortable enough to offer my own point of view to some of the articles posted. And that's when the real "fun" began.
It's an extremely heady experience to write something that others are reading, and even headier to receive positive feedback for what you've written. The downside, of course, is a vulnerability to attack from those who didn't agree with what you've written, from those who rise up to vehemently defend the untruths that you bravely point out in the articles or comments, or no response at all. Silly me for thinking that it was supposed to be an open discussion and that the moderator would do the job of keeping discussions as fair and two-sided as possible...but that is to be addressed in more detail in Part 2.
Some of the positive experiences that I take from my participation at TM-Free are:
I've touched on my own history with the TM movement in the column to the right, and after a 20-year hiatus in which I had no contact whatsoever with movement activities, when I returned I was curiously excited by all the new programs that had been introduced. My biggest disappointments were the absence of "heart" in the movement and the deluge of solicitations for funds coming from every direction. (Interestingly enough, during my former involvement, I proudly told everyone that one of the things that set our movement apart from others was that we didn't beg for money.)
I spent some time after 9/11 rounding in the dome at MUM (formerly MIU) where I heard movement leaders such as John Hagelin make promises that couldn't possibly be kept. As doubts arose, I began looking for answers and came across John Knapp's TranceNet, Mike Doughney's MINet, and Joe Kellett's "Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole". What is it with the fascination a person like myself has when reading for the first time severe criticisms about something with which they were and are still involved? (Apparently, I had also missed these defections from the movement during my hiatus.) I voyeuristically read it all, eventually ending up at the TM-Free blog that, from all outward appearances, offered something that the other three sites didn't – free expression of ideas and an opportunity for discussion.
When one first arrives at a blog like TM-Free, everyone's writing appears so fresh and new perhaps because you're reading it for the first time and can't yet discern the underlying patterns (repetitiveness, proselytizing, etc.) or motives in what has been written. There's also an overall feeling to the blog that hasn't yet revealed itself. After lurking to get a feel for the various contributors and commenters, I felt comfortable enough to offer my own point of view to some of the articles posted. And that's when the real "fun" began.
It's an extremely heady experience to write something that others are reading, and even headier to receive positive feedback for what you've written. The downside, of course, is a vulnerability to attack from those who didn't agree with what you've written, from those who rise up to vehemently defend the untruths that you bravely point out in the articles or comments, or no response at all. Silly me for thinking that it was supposed to be an open discussion and that the moderator would do the job of keeping discussions as fair and two-sided as possible...but that is to be addressed in more detail in Part 2.
Some of the positive experiences that I take from my participation at TM-Free are:
> learning to socially network online,
> development of my writing skills and other forms of personal expression,
> clarification of doubts and crystallization of what I feel about Maharishi and the TMO (it may not be as good as I once thought but it's far from being as bad as the critical sites portray),
> meeting some interesting people I now consider friends (even though we'll probably never meet in person).
In Part 2 of this same theme, I begin to explore how I became disillusioned and critical of some of TM-Free's contributors and articles. Until then folks, thanks for listening.
The Bird
In Part 2 of this same theme, I begin to explore how I became disillusioned and critical of some of TM-Free's contributors and articles. Until then folks, thanks for listening.
The Bird
