Landmark Forum - Here's the facts

Is it possible to be ridiculed into self-awareness in on expensive weekend?

When it comes to positive change there are lots of seminars you can take that boot you in the butt to begin self reflection in a genuine and productive manner.  Landmark Forum is one such organization.  Here is the crux of the matter, my findings:

They say there is a big difference between what actually happened in a person’s life and the meaning or interpretation they made up about it.  Lying on your internal resume.

The landmark people talk about how people pursue an "imaginary someday" of satisfaction... while locking themselves out of the "now"   Kind of a "I'll be happy when"...mentality.  

They also get into how human behavior is governed by a need to look good.  This plays into our heavy duty culture of consumerism and appears to attempt to create a break with its hold upon us.  Not a completely bad thing I would think?

it gets a little abstract to me when they talk about how people "create their own meaning to life – none is inherent in the world."  This abstract concept, I believe is used as smoke and mirrors to place the class ill-at-ease and question their own integrity in order to place more trust in the course directors.

They go on to discuss how people have “rackets”, which are “being right about” or giving excuses for one’s own actions.  Self deception has been around for as long as air.  I do not see how we could re-invent them as "rackets", however there is credence to focusing on self deception by using a new word (ie "racket").  This gives the student a fresh view of his or her issues and hence they can take a fresh look at how the deceive themselves and begin dealing with internal lies henceforth.

To “transform” by simply declaring a new way of being instead of trying to change themselves in comparison to the past is a great part of this coursework.  Standing up with a clear idea of how we have been lying to ourselves is a very decent start to trusting ones self and being brutally honest with ones self.

Getting down with the hard stuff comes when course participants are encouraged to call people they know during the course who they are upset with and either forgive the other person or apologize for their own behavior.  This is completely counter to our cultural training.  Americans simply do not apologize.  This aspect of the training, while incredibly unpleasant points the way to personal freedom through self acceptance and forgiveness of others.  it nullifies arrogance, encourages humility and sends a message of integrity to the world however there is not data on how permanent the dicipline is when asked to live by the ideas conveyed in the seminar.

The final evening, usually a Tuesday evening involves a sales presentation at which course attendees bring other people to learn about and sign up for The Landmark Forum. This old school (and seriously lame) attempt at viral marketing is a clear marker of the corporate beast that lay withing organizations like these where the bottom line profits are clearly a great concern of the organization.  While perfectly acceptable capitalism some might find this rather telling or even a complete give-away of the organizations main agenda.  The buck.  

There are good effects of these seminars.  How difinitive and for whom is really a subjective question.  I know people who would laugh through the entire process and I know people who would gain substantial insight into themselves and others through courses such as Landmark.  

I suppose it takes all kinds in this world.  And if there is a niche market for people who need this kind of stuff to not exploit it would be fiscally irresponsible.  However to exploit people in the pursuit of profit is morally reprehensible.  Organizations like these walk that line every time they take your cash.  I suppose "the buyer beware" is about the best advice one could take when researching life enhancing seminars like these.

Daily perspective complete.