--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ann" <awoelflebater@...> wrote: > > I was trying to see a picture of the guy. Here is a link: > http://www.sterling-institute.com/sterling-institute-justin.php
This is the point at which I just have to roll my eyes. I'm sorry (and no offence intended to those who went for this stuff and felt that they gained something from it), but to me this is just eye-roll city. It's like when I read FFL and see all these long-term TMers so focused on their health problems and their healers and talking about them non-stop and I have to think, "WTF? *These* are people who claim that TM produces 'perfect health?'" Well, when I read about people who need a fuckin' seminar to figure out what it is to be a man or a woman I have a similar reaction. I liked Robert Bly as a poet, but his whole Man thang just left me completely cold and struck me as whining back when I first heard about it, decades ago -- a bunch of men sitting around a campfire pounding drums to get over their Daddy issues. The whole concept *still* strikes me as ludicrous. WHO, ferchrissakes, needs to be told by some seminar leader *making money from it* how to be a man or a woman, and what that entails? The very *concept* is IMO designed for those who have been trained over the years to pay for *everything* associated with self discovery or fulfillment. These are seminars offered by someone *promoting* duality, and making their money from the idea that men and women are so fundamentally different that they can't communicate without external help. As the bumper sticker says so well, "Men are from Earth, women are from Earth...get over it." > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "seekliberation" <seekliberation@> > wrote: > > > > ahhh, the whole sterling men's group cult that started back in the 90's. I > > remember that whole thing (I think it's still going). I ended up going to > > the 'weekend seminar' that is the basis of the whole group. It's actually > > valuable if you've been raised like a modern american male (irresponsible, > > immature, unable to transition from boyhood to manhood, etc...). The whole > > weekend is about a lot of things, but primarily what I got out of it is a > > view of how weak and pathetic men are becoming decade after decade in > > America. It was a kind of eye-opening experience for me, and i'm thankful > > for it. Othwerwise, I do believe I would've continued in life with a lot > > of perpetual abandonment of responsibility and growth that is often > > justified by modern American males to avoid altogether. > > > > However, the whole sterling men's group turned into a 'cult within a cult'. > > Not only were the men from Fairfield mostly meditators, but now they're a > > part of another new 'paradigm-shifting' group. I found that a lot of the > > men in that group were doing a lot of superficial things that were just NOT > > a part of their character. It was usually to display some masculinity or > > manliness. There were so many of them that would all of a sudden try > > acting tough, though they never were tough their entire life. The > > intensity of their recruiting efforts was borderline psychotic. I honestly > > believe that only a sociopath could remain in that group without any > > serious conflict with others. Many men who were part of it eventually > > drifted away due to the same perceptions that I had of it. However, we all > > agreed it (the weekend seminar) changed our lives for the better. > > > > The funny part about it is that eventually the Head Honcho of all > > nationwide Sterling groups (Justin Sterling) made an executive decision to > > disband the group from Fairfield from being an official representation of > > the 'Sterling Men's Group'. I'm not sure why, but I think that the leader > > of the whole gig felt that something was seriously wrong with the men's > > group from Fairfield in comparison to other groups in the rest of the > > nation. He was probably right. A lot of these men were fanatics about TM, > > or some other form of spirituality or new-agism. And if you take someone > > like that and latch them onto another belief system, it's like the > > fanatacism goes through the roof. > > > > All that being said, I do agree that the weekend has changed some people's > > lives, but I would strongly recommend avoiding the group activities that > > come afterward (unless you really enjoy it). It was a major pain in the > > ass when I announced to the group that I didn't want anything to do with > > them anymore. It's worse than trying to tell a military recruiter that you > > changed your mindÂ…..literally. > > > > seekliberation > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "seventhray27" <steve.sundur@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > I am guessing that this is carry over from the "Mens" movement thing > > > from some time ago. Was it Sterling, or something? I guess I could > > > look it up. But I remember someone from Fairfield, put one of my good > > > friends from here in St. Louis to recruit me, or invite me to > > > participate or something. It was awkward for him, and it was awkward > > > for me. But the Fairfield guy employed all the high pressure tactics > > > you use to sell something. My friend and I were at my house and the FF > > > guy was doing his thing on the phone. But then, as now, I didn't care > > > to get recruited to a new group. > > > > > > And truthfully, I still have resentment for that guy for his blatant > > > manipulation. He just wouldn't take no for an answer. > > > > > > Who knows, maybe I could have benefited from it. > > > > > >
