Leaderboard

Some 40 years ago, wierwille envisioned the concept of a corps program where "his" committed followers would undergo a strict, disciplined training program....i.e. a spiritual marine corps. Obviously, the pfal series (foundational, intermediate, advanced class) was not the all, end-all.....nor were those summer school programs at hq. Wierwille desired more commitment, more structure, more control. The first year of this corps program FAILED.....and subsequently, was marked with disdain and labeled the zero corps. The following year, an undeterred wierwille revved up this training indoctrination in a fragmented twi that instituted a divisive pecking order that still exists today. Arrogance and hypocrisy are laced throughout this program and legacy of the corps program as "dr. wierwille" became the chief bottle washer. In my experiences, people become annoyed when someone is appointed to lead them that is highly unqualified and arrogant to boot. Add in some hypocrisy and years of growing legalism, and people bristle as corps leadership was forced upon the followers YEAR after YEAR. At hq, the good-hearted staff in the early-70s were being systematically replaced as corps infiltrated the upper-level staff assignments. By 1982, the corps brand was synonymous with "qualified leadership." Men like Johnnie T0wns3nd and John Lyyn didn't go thru the corps training, but were given special status recognition anyway. Even Don and Howard were publically acknowledged with honorary corps status. I know some hq-staffers who went into the corps, only to gain access to this corps recognition (and training???...ha) and BACK TO THEIR DESK JOBS AT HQ. What hypocrisy!!! Twi promoted it, allowed it, and sanctioned it. I knew many, many non-corps who had better qualities, better leadership than corps. And, every time that waysider (a GS poster) details his fellow-laborers commitment.....it exemplifies how many non-corps had the same drive, discipline and determination to fulfill "spiritual quests." But rather than spur on this pi$$ing contest between corps vs non-corps.......I see it as a divisive measure that fueled a competitive nature in the ranks of twi. Did wierwille have any idea that this would erupt? I don't know. But I do know that the corps program was an indoctrination of all things wierwille. It was NOT God's design. It was NOT God's way. The corps program was a fragmented patchwork of teachings that catapulted the ideology of a cult leader. With seclusion, intimidation, isolation and secrecy.....the corps program morphed into a rite-of-passage spiritual recognition that never existed. Wierwille surrounded himself with handlers, bodyguards, and yes-men to portray spiritual importance. But in actuality, this was nothing more than sleight of hand deception. The mid-70s corps training was filled with government-overthrow prophecies, America Awakes rallying, mal-pack teachings, food storage-survival kits, The Tracker seminars, etc. etc.......all the while, this was supposedly spiritual training. Huh? To me, the corps vs non-corps dots........ALL CONNECT BACK TO WIERWILLE. To me, this is a black/white issue that is leftover waybrain. These experiences and perceptions were in direct relationship with a cult environment. This status system is seriously flawed, because it violated the true principles of genuine leadership and true value. The corps site is little more than a nostalgic recognition of "what one was truly committed to" vs "what reality was." So many things folks. Maybe, that's why I detest my corps experience and indoctrination. And, perhaps.....that's why my time with a sweet College Division girl at Emporia was so special.

"Attention to detail" isn't in and of itself a bad thing. If you met an artisan, officer of the law, or even a firefighter you'd agree that attention to detail is why they are successful in what they do. Surely twi took things to an extreme, but it's always necessary to separate the motive from the action. WE?...WE?? Who's "we" kemosabe? many of us- maybe even most of us made our own decision to LEAVE early on. I don't know anyone personally who became unable to make his or her own decisions. I'd say that GSC is full of folks who made their own decision to leave. These broad stroke claims are a disgrace. Sure, twi was phrucked up - and manipulating - but I refuse to give them credit they don't deserve. I've read plenty of posts where people have said that they knew something was off - and they were waiting for the opportunity to leave. Yes it was a complicated decision - but it was a decision all the same. A decision many if not most of us made on our own. Just who is "we" here"? I never experienced this nail-biting and waiting for some ghost from Christmas future. I didn't know anyone else who did either. You would do better to speak in much less general terms. It's not honest to do otherwise. You can certainly speak for yourself. You can even say that there are others like you. But to say "we" like it's all the posters at GSC who acted and felt the same way is almost arrogantly presumptuous. BTW - I am not awaiting death - I am enjoying watching my children mature and grow - and OH BTW - I never did wait for "the adversary" to come for me and I never agonized over such a thought set. The day after I left twi, I got up, fed my family, went to work, came home and made dinner - then cleaned up and slept very well. Maybe I should post something like "we all got up, fed our families, went to work, came home and made dinner - then cleaned up and slept very well." Oh wait... I can't do that - because then I wouldn't be speaking just for myself- I'd be projecting my situation on EVERYBODY ELSE. Now that wouldn't be honest, would it?

then you had idiots like me - rushing cuz I'm late for work or ministry meeting - believing God to make the red light go green "booms quick".

A great point guys! Maybe this isn't where you wanted to go on this but it's all i thought of on it.. .anywho.. .divide & conquer was one of vp's most powerful weapons imho. Divide and conquer is a key strategy to gain or maintain power. I see it at every phase of my TWI experience. As a newbie, I was slowly pulling away from relationships and interests that had nothing to do with TWI. Family, friends, hobbies, etc. which were a part of MY life, maybe somewhat defining who I was – heritage, preferences, likes & dislikes, habits – all being severed in a most insidious manner – by ME in my desire to achieve the happiness & fulfillment that was promised to those who sold out! Maybe it's pressing it a bit – but I even think the way vp works at getting PFAL students to disregard the five senses & any knowledge obtained by them in favor of the superior "spiritual knowledge" in his class was a divisive means of overthrowing our mainline of defense in the cerebral arena – our powers of reason. Thinking of any of their programs I now see them as a divide & conquer tactic at the most rudimentary level – breaking down all aspects of one's personality – in order to render it malleable. Makes me think of the cracking process in chemistry – the breaking down of something complex into something smaller and more useful. In regards to people – TWI's programs worked at reducing folks to some kind of a raw pliable material that they could pour into a mold to suit their agenda. I remember the theme of my first few months in-residence "world out, word in". And yeah I can even see a sick competition in the ranks generated by this. "How much old-man stuff can you get rid of? How fast can you change? Do you have what it takes to be Corps? How committed are you? Remember Paul considered it all rubbish compared to knowing the greatness of the Word!" It was a weird competition though – we weren't all striving for some unique goal or reward that cannot be shared. We were all shooting for becoming the ideal Way believer. Ya know, maybe in the background of many controversies, this divide & conquer threat loomed like a deterrent to maintain the unity. If there's 99 percent of the folks on the side of the man-O-gawd on a certain issue - do I have the cajones to disagree if I see things differently? To be honest - I usually saw things their way since I was brain dead anyway. But in the time leading up to when I left TWI - a fear of being destroyed [becoming a grease spot by midnight :unsure:] through the folly of thinking for myself was a very real hurdle to overcome. ~~ Yeah I agree – TWI's programs didn't give anything to participants that they didn't already have.. .and my 2 cents on leadership from some management book I've read – there's leaders [who have the vision, clearly see the goal] and then there's managers [who adopt the vision of the leader and plans & directs the work of those under them toward the goal]. Imho TWI had only one leader [the prez], all the programs were designed to develop managers.

yah it's like being in preschool or something and playing "mother may i" or something. it's kind of hit me square in the face why it took me so long to learn self determination but here the answer is right here on greasespot cafe and it's because i was raised in a cult that led people into a brain habit that made us think we had to have somebody or something holding our hand for every little thing like walking to kindergarten or somebody or something was going to get us and get us good and dead if we didn't tweak our brains and our habits just so and like this and i'm surprised we didn't have to all wear tin foil hats or something! ok this is kind of making me mad because i can look back now and see where my brain started baking off in the bad directions now and boy oh boy i can really pinpoint it right to the way international!

I can't think of any TWI programs that worked as promoted! In my observation, those who were effective leaders before going in, were also effective leaders coming out, (although some of those were corrupted while in) and those who weren't were just as ineffective upon graduation, only know they thought they were leaders. For the most part, the problem wasn't the people in the program, it was the whole idea that "leaders" were even needed.

If you ain't the Lead Dog, the view never changes.

Sometimes I think VP reveled in the strife he generated

Yeah.....lots of little $hytazzes throughout my twi/corps tenure when it came to the organizational side of things. Only good-hearted people sweetened the moments and memories. But twi????.....nope, don't miss it one bit. When I was a WOW.....some $hytazzes were WOW vets. When I was a WOW vet.....some $hytazzes were corps. When I was inresidence corps....some $hytazzes were corps grads. When I was a corps grad.........some $hytazzes were clergy. When I was twi clergy...........some $hytazzes were limb coordinators. When I was a limb coord.........some $hytazzes were region or trunk guys. When I was at large twi events.....some $hytazzes had trustee titles. UNLESS YOU WERE THE LEAD DOG......lock-step following is a $hytazz view of life.

I remember being in FLO and hearing with horror that the goal was that no one would EVER hold any kind of leadership position, including twig leader/coordinator without being a WC grad. Which was stupid then and is stupid now. The program might make an individual more knowledgeable and adept at kissing butt, but had little to do, at least in my three months or he!! there, with living life with God's people, loving them and teaching them and walking with them (rather than walking all over them). I got in very deep do-do once for commenting to a staff member, a WC grad naturally, that my father had taught me to hold tree branches aside for someone following me through the woods, rather than criticizing the follower for following too closely and getting whapped in the face as a result. I mean screaming at me and what an ignorant fool my father must have been, was HE a WC grad? Oh he!! no, so he didn't know beans from barium about anything, now did he? The offendee was a graduate of the WC and therefore filled with all the knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the universe and WHO THE HE!! DID I THINK I WAS TO OFFER A SUGGESTION TO THIS GREAT AND MIGHTY MAN OF GOD? I still hold branches aside for the follower, and I still think Dad knew more about woodsmanship than that puffed up little $hytazz. But he was WC and therefore knew everything. And I have forgiven the above nameless idiot, even for maligning a man he had never met who was a better man than he knew existed. WG