Rocky

You certainly are still young. :) You were an infant when I first was introduced to twi at age 19.

Of course, that's not necessarily the thread topic, but hey, why not set forth (probably a bit less awkward if you had started a new thread dedicated to setting forth your observations) what you have seen and how you put it all together in your perception? Your perception/observation/opinion is just as valid as anyone else's. I don't agree with it or see it the same way, but that's okay. The only concern I'd have with what you said above is to be careful in making heavy handed judgment of people. Your perspective is not the only valid way to look at it all. As to the GSC mission, I wouldn't worry so much about it. The information on peoples' experiences with TWI, Martindale and Wierwille have been spelled out in painstaking detail. People who come here can take it or leave it, just as you can. Nobody's getting paid to advance the mission, whatever that mission may be. So, as a message board, GSC has provided a forum for people to both express and read about their own and other people's experience. That's really all it's about as I see it. It's been real. :)

. :(

Especially as former twi followers. Most humans, however, have an even stronger desire to belong. I can say AMEN to that! :)

Why would I care what anyone else believes about God? Unless they were harming people...

Superficially, perhaps it seems like a stretch to connect. Indeed, the loss of compassion is legitimate and connected. For people who might be interested in exploring the sociological and psychological issues beneath the surface, let me remind you of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Of course, we know that the New Testament explicitly states that the love of money is the root of all evil. But really, how robust is the human understanding of what the "love of money" entails? Could it be that when the love of money (a significant Wierwille motivation, most likely) causes an individual or social groups (churches, ministry organizations, corporations, etc. are certainly in there) to supplant compassion for living beings with self-interest and personal gain, tremendous evil is expressed and manifested. That's really why twi fell apart. Wierwille talked from time to time about his (and others') appetites. Well, appetite is just another word for desire. When one can't put off self-gratification, and instead uses people all hell breaks out. Anyway, that's the connection as I see it. And no, I don't think it's a stretch, in the least.

Wonderful insight. This current column by Chris Hedges shows how similar things happen with people around the world.

:rolleyes:/>

There's always eBay. A couple of month ago, a friend of mine sold an entire TWI library on ebay. I think he may have gotten a couple hundred bucks for it.

Hi Broken Arrow, If you click the link in penworks' tag line (her real name), it will take you to her website where you can subscribe for updates on her book and blog.

Nope. I got it right away. :)

Hey Bolshevik, From the description of the television offering this thread links to, that potential pop culture vehicle might provide some movement in the direction this thread inquired about.

I bet it's got Rosie's panties in a bunch! :)

Had not heard of it. Sounds intriguing.

Too many of us bought that BS.

Which point was that? I don't see it. Please explain. :)

Endless supplies of young, attractive women to schtupp, and hundreds of obedient drones. He got those fulfilled... for a time.

Bazinga! There's not a whole lot of anybody here anymore. There's no "in crowd." There's no "crowd."

1) what exactly do you have, in terms of what possible personal qualifications you might have, that would qualify you to rightfully determine what ANY other person, besides yourself, should do? 2) how could you possibly know anything about anyone here that, even if you were somehow qualified, would give you any insight about the people here so that you could actually determine what they should do? There is no "in crowd" here. Heck, there isn't even any "crowd." I have to wonder how in the world you develop your expectations for what should happen here. Of course, that doesn't mean I expect you to tell me. I can live with not knowing. Not that you would necessarily give any serious consideration to anything I might suggest, but it seems like you might benefit from getting clear on what you are looking for and then figuring out where you can find it. Depending on what gets put on your list, you may or may not be able to reasonably expect anyone here to fulfill those desires. You might also benefit from insight found in books written by Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) and M Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled... and several more excellent books). Good luck finding what you're looking for. :)

The pledge I took when I enlisted was to uphold the US Constitution. The rest of the controversy is likely someone intentionally fomenting rage for political purposes. Indeed, language is only a vehicle for communicating ideas. I don't have any respect for Mr. Robertson, don't know what his motives may have been, but he probably exacerbated the situation regardless of his motives.

This link might be somewhat related. I recently learned about other (BCE) religious figures whose stories bear an uncanny resemblance to Jesus' story as presented in the 4 gospels. Coincidence?

It's a state in our country.

Yes, willingness to be vulnerable is and should be contingent on having relationships based on trust. I agree emphatically. Confession of weaknesses, vulnerability and shortcomings, to people who intend to exploit you, however, is definitely not a good thing.

Key reflection. Glad you posted it, WordWolf.

:offtopic:/>