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George Leonard & Michael Murphy

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briankgruber Avatar
briankgruber
Posts: 54
Posted: 04.27.08, 10:35 AM
A wonderful program with two of the pioneers of the extraordinary Esalen Institute.
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GnosisMan Avatar
GnosisMan +
Posts: 26
Posted: 02.27.10, 06:02 PM
Try as I may, I could not engage in what these two men were taking about. I've gained more insight reading 15 minutes in one of my books on humanistic psychology than what they have said in 1 hour. The questions and comments were filled with spiritual jargon that only confuses and I doubt those listening understood what was being said. It seems the real purpose of these guys is to promote ITP and to me they did not help.
Perhaps this meeting was an informal one and that's Ok but I'm not impressed. I went to the ITP web site and it offers pretty much the same as other spiritual workshops. As much as I'd like to go to one, I'm not convinced they have the means to cultivate your potential as they say they do.

I'm really disappointed in the human potential movement and these workshops that are suppose to make you a better person. It seems to me that the only way to transform oneself is by a long and intensive training tantamount to that of an ascetic monk. A true awakening is outside our experience and I highly doubt that ITP or any other place has the knowledge to get us there. Had they done so, millions would be flocking to the nearest retreat.

In reference to Utopian-ism it so happens that I've been reading up on it and I was quite disappointed that the speakers did not address this at great length. The jest was fine but this event felt more like a social gathering oppose to a real in depth discussion about Utopian-ism.
When George said that we have our own personal utopia, I give him credit for it because it's so true. But I was hoping he'd point out that our respective utopia can be dangerous especially if we use religion or any form of (political) ideology to impose it on others as we are doing in Iraq and others countries in the name of "freedom".

Lastly, am I the only one who is outraged by the injustices of Wall Street, and our political parties who are raping the American people any way they can? Why is it that ITP or any other institution who claims to have truth on their side remain silent on these issues? I mean, where are the Simone Weil's of today? Why is it that our respective clergies have said nothing about the crisis facing middle class and the poor? I just goes to show you just how impoverished our clergies are and how they become pawns to our political leaders by making their respective flocks’ believe in things that only dumb them down-or worse blame them for their misfortunes because they did not love Jesus enough.

Ken Wilber may be the Einstein of consciousness and he may spend a lot of time writing books but no amount of reading will enlighten us. If there is a God out there and he created us, I resent him/her for making us so stupid and if this God is a Christian God I resent it even more because all he gave us was two books filled with parables difficult to understand and easily misinterpreted. We already know just how complex human nature is and for God to address it with parables is very frustrating. To believe that the Bible will save mankind is a good example of a utopia. We assume we know what it says but the INTERPRETATION we give it makes us rigid and confined. It therefore impairs us from discovering the kind of insights that are more profound and transcend literal meaning.
ITP has a long way to go.
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