Michael, I don't know if I was so much a true believer in that I surrendered all my analytical skills. Yes, I believed in the message, and spread it pretty effectively I think. That is to say the basic technique of TM.
Perhaps, like many, I was searching for something "more" back in the day, and TM seemed to be the answer for that. And so, I became a teacher and graduated from MIU. Throughout that time, there were aspects of the organization that I found ridged and a bit misguided and so it lost some of its charm for me. But there was no single event that caused me to become disillusioned. In fact I've mentioned that after I graduated in 1981, I continued to do group program until the time I got married and had a child. And now, I feel as though that spiritual journey has entered a different phase. As far as my mediation, I still do that after work before I come home, or after dinner when I feel a need. I find it relaxing, although I don't do it in the context of a spiritual technique, if that makes any sense. And again, I feel the spiritual path is what makes life meaningful, but that path take on many forms. My wife is a pretty devout Catholic, and I think she has been served well by her adherence to that practice. Thanks for the inquiry. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : Steve, I may be wrong but didn't you recently allude to you being a real true believer at one time who became disillusioned with certain things about TM or at least with the TMO? Would you mind telling what aspects you became disillusioned with and what aspects you are still alright with? -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 4/19/14, steve.sundur@... mailto:steve.sundur@... <steve.sundur@... mailto:steve.sundur@...> wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why does TM seem to focus on losers? To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, April 19, 2014, 1:49 AM ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <turquoiseb@...> wrote : And *this* gets me to thinking about whether Maharishi always pitched TM to losers and people with problems and low self esteem because they become the best disciples. And *disciples* is what he was looking for. Or is it possible that for whatever reason the generation that responded most strongly to Maharishi's message was a generation that was searching for something different. Is it possible that this may have been a reason, or do you prefer just to go with the low self esteem, loser scenario. And is it possible that somehow you have gotten more jaded in your outlook on life such that everything to do with TM, at least, gets reduced to the worst possible interpretation. This is after all an organization that you left more than 40 years ago, and yet you are one of the most active participants in a forum which has this organization as it's focus. I don't know if the TB experiment you allude to regularly really makes sense. You appear to have a pretty big investment in anything, and everything TM. Am I wrong about that? Think about it. Does the TMO really spend any energy trying to market TM to "regular people," who have few problems in life and are just looking to enjoy it more? They do not. They focus on People With Problems. Kids doing badly in school. Criminals locked away in prisons. Veterans with PTSD. Can't this be seen as a continuation of a long-standing trend to look for prospective new students among populations who are more likely to be easy to convert into True Believers and thus become disciples? It's just an idea. YMMV.
