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The Way International HQ and My Own Private Idaho


chockfull
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So among the current leadership of the Way lies the vast majority that have lived most of their lives or a significant portion of their lives in the small city ecosystem that exists around the Way International Headquarters at the Wierwille farm in New Knoxville Ohio.

Far removed from the realities of life that most experience, such as a commute, a mortgage, a family (RFR), these leaders have developed in a vacuum environment.   Like cultivating mushrooms, great care must be taken to keep foreign spores from invading your mushroom patch.  This is the perfect environment for breeding a leader with zero empathy and compassion.  Altruistic goals like "It Is Written" can still be portrayed loftily on walls around communes and on little geometrical carved pieces on clergies desks keeping them in tow while being functionally replaced with "It Is Position" being paramount.  Chapter and verse can little by little be replaced with pithy quotes like published in "Lifelines" from leaders with lofty titles and puny hearts.  Quotes can go on like "I remember meeting Rosalie once, and she told me this.....".  The Research department can be replaced with a whited sepulchre Timothy statue and a re-worked BG Leonard class 3 times removed.  And because snow on gaspumps - "we already have the truth we don't need more research".  

At any rate, not to shift gears too drastically in concept, recently I was listening to an old B-52's song called "My Own Private Idaho".   It just struck me about some parallel lines of concept.  So I thought I would post up the YouTube link and the lyrics and start up a discussion with y'alls.

Peace.

What do you think?

 

Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo

You're living in your own Private Idaho
Living in your own Private Idaho
Underground like a wild potato
Don't go on the patio
Beware of the pool
Blue bottomless pool
It leads you straight, right throught the gate
That opens on the pool

You're living in your own Private Idaho
You're living in your own Private Idaho

Keep off the path, beware of the gate
Watch out for signs that say "hidden driveways"
Don't let the chlorine in your eyes
Blind you to the awful surprise
That's been waitin' for you at
The bottom of the bottomless blue, blue, blue pool

You're livin' in your own Private Idaho, Idaho
You're out of control, the rivers that roll
You fell into the water and down to Idaho
Get out of that state
Get out of the state you're in
You better beware

You're living in your own Private Idaho
You're living in your own Private Idaho

Keep off the patio (your own private Idaho)
Keep off the path (your own private Idaho)
The lawn may be green but you better not be seen
Walkin' through a gate that leads you down
Down to a pool fraught with danger
It's a pool full of strangers

Hey, you're living in your own Private Idaho
Where do I go from here to a better state than this?
Well
Don't be blind to the big surprise
Swimming round and round like the deadly hand
Of a radium clock
At the bottom
Of the pool

I-I-I-daho
I-I-I-daho
Woah-oh, woah-oh, woah-oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Get out of that state
Get out of that state
You're living in your own Private Idaho
Livin' in your own Private
Idaho

Songwriters: CINDY WILSON, FRED SCHNEIDER, KATE PIERSON, KEITH STRICKLAND, RICKY WILSON
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

 

 

 

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Hi Chockfull,

I think you make a good point there, it reminds me also of how that situation of a 'closed society' is similar also to Washington, D.C., or the Vatican in Rome, Branch Davidians in Waco, Hollywood, maybe even the International Space Station, where a woman astronaut was recently celebrated for (supposedly) spending 666 consecutive days in space, a number which is very interesting...

But there are sometimes good reasons (e.g., economical) why people live in close proximity, but maybe the other side of the coin is an unintended consequence.  Remember the news story recently about the family with I think 13 kids living secluded in a house in a normal residential area...

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46 minutes ago, GoldStar said:

Hi Chockfull,

I think you make a good point there, it reminds me also of how that situation of a 'closed society' is similar also to Washington, D.C., or the Vatican in Rome, Branch Davidians in Waco, Hollywood, maybe even the International Space Station, where a woman astronaut was recently celebrated for (supposedly) spending 666 consecutive days in space, a number which is very interesting...

But there are sometimes good reasons (e.g., economical) why people live in close proximity, but maybe the other side of the coin is an unintended consequence.  Remember the news story recently about the family with I think 13 kids living secluded in a house in a normal residential area...

But tangible, undeniable consequence nevertheless... though I don't agree with all of the analogues you cited being legitimately comparable.

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54 minutes ago, Rocky said:

though I don't agree with all of the analogues you cited being legitimately comparable.

I would be curious to know which of the analogies I cited you would not consider legitimately comparable, and your reasons why, just to understand your reasoning process if you don't mind sharing that

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1 hour ago, GoldStar said:

I would be curious to know which of the analogies I cited you would not consider legitimately comparable, and your reasons why, just to understand your reasoning process if you don't mind sharing that

Well, for one, Hollywood isn't quite as closed of a society/subculture even though it may be reasonable to cite some strong common bonds between many people who would be considered part of Hollywood. In twi, I never saw or heard anyone voicing strong feelings about political views contrary to group norms.

In Hollywood, while it may be commonly understood that most of "them" are politically liberal, you still have the James Woods and Jon Voights and (before he passed) Charleton Heston. Who speak/spoke out boldly and emphatically with starkly contrasting views and values.

There's no question that the Branch Davidians were a cult. The Turpins (the 13 kids severely abused) are an extreme example of a closed social group and how tragic it can be.

Also in contrast, the ISS (International Space Station) of course had/has the potential but it's not a closed social group. By virtue of the nature of "international" it has to have openness and communications norms (unwritten rules) and written rules to safeguard both the scientific work and the cooperation between nations.

Back in the 1980s, when I was going to college, I learned in communications classes about group dynamics, specifically that groups small and large go through stages:

Forming, storming, norming, performing.

Groups start for a reason. There develops or exists common interests and goals. But before the group can accomplish its intended purpose, there will be conflict. Among those who stay in the group, they figure out what rules (written or not) that they can live with. Not everyone who's there at the beginning, stays through this stage, but for those who do, they then can accomplish their common objectives and goals.

Unintended consequence comes in when there's no leadership that can wisely guide the group through those stages. Leadership in this context is an intangible concept, not necessarily always provided in the same way in all groups.

Of course there's more to it, but that's the gist.

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1 hour ago, GoldStar said:

I would be curious to know which of the analogies I cited you would not consider legitimately comparable, and your reasons why, just to understand your reasoning process if you don't mind sharing that

Btw, thanks for asking.

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I'm glad you commented on the sunglasses, chock, because I was too busy watching Cindy rock that brunette 'do to give much thought to the dusty old creeps in the cornfield. 

The higher the hair, the closer to God.:anim-smile: 

 

 

 

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On 3/7/2018 at 8:12 PM, GoldStar said:

Hi Chockfull,

I think you make a good point there, it reminds me also of how that situation of a 'closed society' is similar also to Washington, D.C., or the Vatican in Rome, Branch Davidians in Waco, Hollywood, maybe even the International Space Station, where a woman astronaut was recently celebrated for (supposedly) spending 666 consecutive days in space, a number which is very interesting...

But there are sometimes good reasons (e.g., economical) why people live in close proximity, but maybe the other side of the coin is an unintended consequence.  Remember the news story recently about the family with I think 13 kids living secluded in a house in a normal residential area...

Gold, I live in DC, and have been for 20 years.  DC is not a"closed society."  Not at all!!  Some people hate DC, while others like me, love it.  People come, and go all the time.  DC has a huge transit population, and has since it became the nation's capital, centuries ago.  Why would anyone think that DC is a "closed society?"

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As the thread originator, I feel such power to take control of the discussion and steer it in the direction I want it to go.
 

:rolleyes:

Idaho.  Potatoes.  B-52's.

Yes.  

My Own Private Idaho - interpreted, means a personal place of my own making.  This place is full of fear of outside influence, growing underground like a potato, leary of strangers.  Growing up in my own private Idaho, I developed boundary issues.   These boundary issues include confusion over when and how to connect with people.  I don't call my friends when I should.  I have a hard time setting polite boundaries without it triggering anger issues.   Yesterday in the grocery store I was shopping in front of a cooler, and a lady came up and said "hey can I just reach in front of you for something".  It triggered me.  I didn't say anything to her, but made some angry comment to my kid.  My kid corrected me.  "That's not even that big of a deal".

Dunna Dunna Dun Dunna Dunna Dun Dun Dun Dun

Hoohoohooho hoo hoo hoohoo.

 

 

 

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So how does one deal with one's own Private Idaho?   

I literally had a really cool conversation with a friend of mine yesterday on this topic, yet indirectly.  She was telling me that how she knows what to focus on when deciding what to work on regarding herself and self improvement is by monitoring what she accuses others of.   She said she is aware of the truth that when you point a finger at others 4 are pointing back at you, so she actually uses that as a form of self-regulation.  I thought to myself.  Smack the forehead.  GENIUS.  I'm going to try that too starting this week.  

Now while this topic has some really nice personal relevance for me above - this is really what I like to gain out of conversations here, I also was pointing out the fact that the Way operates as its own Private Idaho, while masquerading as a worldwide ministry.

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