waysider

I'm curious. How do you "stretch" a coffee pod?

Only my humility prevents me from boasting of my perfection.

"Gurdjieff wrote that he supported himself during his travels with odd jobs and trading schemes (one of which he described as dyeing hedgerow birds yellow and selling them as canaries)."...Source: Wikipedia Yep, I definitely see the similarity to VPW.

My take on this is somewhat of a blend between the two ideas. The core essence of human nature remains the same. (Maslow's hierarchy and all that jazz.) That doesn't negate the fact that all species evolve (or de-evolve, as DEVO posited) over time. However, as society is becoming progressively unable to meet those needs, AI is increasingly being used to try to fill the voids. For consideration, I offer THIS piece about a current trend in Japan. Accept it, reject it, doesn't matter. This is the reality we are dealing with in the modern world.

Are we not men? We are Devo

If you're counting on its historical accuracy, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Would we be required to shout "Hallelujah!"? I'm not much of a shouter. Would an announcement on Twitter be Okay?

We saw this during the height of the pandemic with megachurches. Maybe not completely replaced but certainly modified in their approach.

For the uninitiated: MGTOW

It's difficult. That's why we seek the approval of others who can offer us a sense of validation.

So, either you find your purpose or you become weak and feeble and lose your vigor and vitality. Are you sure there's nothing in between?

I'm sure some find an existence that's more nuanced than that.

I don't really see the jazz analogy. Jazz is more like a flock of starlings going through murmuration. Using music as an analogy, I would say his concept of "ethical cult" more closely resembles field calls and work songs. Most cults, based on my limited experience, appear to have all these elements present at varying degrees, making it difficult to clearly differentiate one from the other. Rather than look at this as being three types of cults, I prefer to think of it as multiple characteristics that might be found in a singular cult.

Is kidnapping illegal? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's illegal. Those of us who have posted here for a while know of a certain someone who, along with family, was confined to their trailer at HQ with armed guards outside the door. Not the sort of thing that gets talked about much during class refreshment breaks.

Well then, I don't think I'm a good candidate for recruitment. The cosmos already has me wide awake and I need to suppress my consciousness so I can get some sleep.

I only come here for the refreshments. Feel free to help yourself to a fresh cup of coffee. (Not the "stretched" kind you might expect at a TWI function)

Ah, yes. "The Pill".

Technology has, indeed, ushered in a Brave New World.

Do we really want to go there?

Wow, I just knew I should have joined the Corps. Even leaving a second rate operation like FellowLaborers wasn't as easy as all that. I mean, who knew you wouldn't be threatened with having your marriage destroyed, your career destroyed or having threats leveled at your family? It's a real shame Wierwille didn't have "enforcers" who could pay friendly social visits to outspoken opponents. Of course, there was always that grease spot by midnight thing, but other than that....

Talking about TWI now: In Ohio, the location of The Way HQ, having sex with someone who is incapacitated is rape. Wierille's victims who were incapacitated through drugging were raped. It's straightforward. Some victims complied under the threat of dire consequences if they didn't. Threats were made to the effect of ruining people reputations, careers, families and who knows what else. Sex by coercion is rape. Wierwille and Martindale used their positions of authority to persuade others to have sex with them. In Ohio, this is defined as rape. Others who were not sexual victims, but knew what was going on, were sometimes threatened with physical violence to silence them. They used the business (TWI) as a vehicle to willfully commit illegal acts. Some might put that in the realm of racketeering.

When I was in a writing partnership, in my pre-twi days, my primary role was mainly to contribute lyrics. I can't tell you how deflating it was to have my creativity denigrated and redefined. I wish I could tell you the spark came back, but it never really did, at least, not in the same manner. But, I found other outlets to express myself.

"Maybe", he said.

This is strictly my opinion, but I kinda feel like some of the really early groups came into the ministry with an already established, solid catalog. Then, they adapted it and reconfigured it make it align with the Way agenda. (I used to write a bit of music in my "old man" days. That's basically what I did. Instead of continuing to be creative, I revamped old material to make it "on the word".) When it was time to produce new material, the agenda superceded the music, which is why it sounds artificial. There might be a few of the originators still around to comment on that. I don't Know if any of them post here, other than Socks.