The curse of an organization based society - www.ezboard.com

>

SRF Walrus

Mt. Washington, Ca

Open discussions about SRF

SRF Walrus > Core Issues > The curse of an organization based society
	<< Prev Topic \| Next Topic >>

Author	Comment
Should Free Registered User (5/3/02 12:48 am) Reply ezSupporter	The curse of an organization based society Revising Gandhi’s ”naiveness” Gandhi had tremendous enthusiasm for the home based industry. He devoted enormous energy at promoting a home based industry for his India . The West did not get too impressed by his thoughts, and we followed our own way -- a corporation based economy. Soon it was quite clear that corporations and factories were more effective in creating wealth. So, this part of Gandhi’s ideas was discarded, and brush aside as naiveness of an idealist; a dreamer. But Gandhi was not stupid, so we better look carefully at what he was trying to say or we may miss valuable insights. We live now in the age of corporations and organizations, where “the bigger the better.” And the bigger is a corporation the more power it has to influence political parties, governments and countries. But, is the system really working? Is it really creating wealth and happiness? Only to a degree. The system has tremendous limitations and for the most part we are not even aware of them. If we look what’s going on in the poor countries of the world -- and most are poor -- if we realize the poverty in which most people live in this planet, we can’t deny that “something” very significant is not working. Furthermore, if we analyze dispassionately the results of the corporation based system economy in our own country, we will also realized that “something” is not working. Stress, consumerism, frustration, anger, mental disorders, senseless violence, are just a few symptoms screaming at us “something is not working!” Obviously, “something” is not working, but what is it ? We do not need to be democrats, socialists or communists to see that “something is not working”. We just need to look around, to read or watch the news and to look at the statistics. In fact, I’m not a socialist, communist, democrat or anything like that. I have been most of my life pro “republicans” and pro corporations. But now, I’m quite concern, because I’m realizing that the corporation based economy, the free market economy, and the globalization of the economy are NOT working. Poor countries are more poor than ever. Hunger is everywhere. The fact that we do not see the extreme poverty does not mean that doesn’t exist. Something is going wrong, very wrong. What is it? I’m convinced that the answer is “GREED” -- CORPORATION GREED. It is not the free market economy in fact what is failing, but the distortions created in that market by powerful greedy corporations. And it is not working what creates stress. Working was always necessary, and it is something very natural. So the job dissatisfaction prevalent in the US comes from having to work for corporations and organizations, where individuals become nobody, where the need of corporations and organizations are consistently put above the needs of the individual, and where meaningless jobs, to take care of meaningless bureaucracy, slave the human spirit and crushes its creativity. Let me give you an example. I’m a therapist with more than ten years of experience. I have worked for different NPOs in the LA County. These organizations do not make sense at all. The L.A .County pays $100 per session to these NPOs to see their medical clients -- a fifty minutes therapy session! Additionally, the County has to pay itself to keep alive a colossal bureaucracy that controls the NPOs. So, tax payers -- you! -- may be paying in fact $200 or more per session of mental health services for people with medical. With that money, medical clients could be taken care by private practitioners at $50 per hour! (providing the LA County reduces its frauds’ paranoia and decreases the demands on futile paper work). This particular example shows clearly what that “something,” I mentioned above, is. We cannot build cars or airplanes in our garage or backyard. Tremendous infrastructure and capital is needed. However, to see a client in therapy you need only a small office. Why then, do we need huge organizations (NPOs) to render such simple service -- talking with somebody? It makes no sense whatsoever. Let’s look at it from a different perspective. These organizations pay about 22 dollars per hour to their clinicians. If the county pays $100 it is obvious that the rest of the money does not go into services to the poor. It just goes to the pockets of administrators inside the NPO. Think of it, close to 80 percent of the money is wasted in bureaucracy! But this doesn’t end there; add to this, the money wasted in the County itself -- which may be even more. But of course, bureaucrats are very interested in keeping the system running. NPOs and the the County bureaucrats make a living out of this super expensive and highly inefficient system. Furthermore, my experience is that life working for these NPOs is not easy at all. They pay little and they are controlled by autocratic regimes that often become very abusive. The job satisfaction in NPOs seems to run very, very low. I have seen countless frustrated people working in these type of organizations. Sounds familiar SRF employees? So, are corporations and orgs. making us happy and wealthier? Not necessarily, BECAUSE WE HAVE GONE TO A EXTREME. We have "corporatize" countless services and manufactures that could be rendered more effectively to society by home based businesses, as Gandhi dreamt. A few years ago, I tried to see clients from home. I run into all type of difficulties. The city put me all type of inconvenient, and I finally could not get a permit. The bottom line is: “the system discourages small home based businesses and encourages big, greedy, ineffective organizations.” As a result, most of us live most of our professional years working for organizations and corporations. If we want to survive, we have to kiss their a... A STRONG pro home-based business legislation would decrease commuting, reward and encourage creativity, protect the individual and the environment from greedy corporations, and in many, many cases, improve the services and products, and reduce cost. But the problem is complex, because now the power is in the hands of big corporations and organizations that are not willing to let go of their privileges. We need to fight hard to protect the individual against organizations. I’m convinced that this is coming, because the level of anger towards greedy corporations and organizations is deep already. Let us look at churches now. It is the same thing. Humble spiritual teachers working silently with a few disciples from their own home -- like Lahiri Mahasaya -- can do a quality job that greedy churches, plotting how to take over the world, will NEVER be able to provide. But our Western obsession with “"corporization"” has also “reached the spiritual world.” So, now we have an SRF organization -- the epitome of spiritual greediness and "corporatized" spirituality. And we also have the so called “SRF spiritual recipe” which Anandamoy talks about, or “the concrete mixer” as he calls it too. Such recipe is being sold to the world as “the short cut to the Infinite.” Sounds like corporation’s marketing, isn’t it? But many of us are slowly realizing that the “recipe” is ineffective and needs to be heavily customized if we want results, or if we want to, at least, keep our mental equilibrium. Of course, the SRF corporation discourages any “deviation” so you are on your own and against mama SRF wishes. We need to look at Gandhi’s home based business ideas very carefully. They may be the answer to many social issues at all levels -- physical, mental and spiritual. We do not need to discard corporations and organizations altogether. We need them to build cars, airplanes, and so on. But we do not need corporations to provide psychotherapy services, medical services (for the most part), and countless other type of services and goods. Nor we need to fall into the communist trap of government control. What we really need is to increase the power of the individual over that of organizations. We need to protect the individual initiative and creativity so that he/she can compete with organizations. We need to put limits to organizations greediness and power and favor independent creative home based businesses. And in regard to spirituality, we need to look again for true, humble teachers who are not interested in taking over the world, but in helping a few souls to reach God. If that is what we want, God will send those teachers. If we want powerful churches taking over the world with their “recipes,” God will send his avatars to do exactly that. Master said: “He rejoices in giving to his Children what they want.”
AumBoy Registered User (5/13/02 6:50 pm) Reply ezSupporter	Re: The curse of an organization based society I think it was in the early 1980s that Ivan Boesky famously declared that “greed is good” at a talk he gave at Yale or Harvard. He was applauded for his comment. Yep, methinks greed is a part of the problem. But remember, corporations are made up of individuals. I would suggest that it is individually based rather than corporation-based. (And like attracts.) Ghandi’s ideas of home-based industry gave power back to the individual and the home. The power of the many over the few. The corporate model is the power of the few over the many. “Experts,” if you may. But how many people today want to control their own lives. Not lip service, but actual action? Few, I feel. In the US, up until the Great Depression and the implementation Social Security in 1935, Americans were extremely proud (in a good sense) of not wanting a handout from the government, of wanting to take care of themselves. Most did not want Socialism; that’s what the act is. In fact, the act helped shape welfare in the US. (In fact, if you go back to the Revolutionary War – “conflict” – Congress passed legislation to give veterans a pension but many, especially those who were Christians, did not apply or accept it. They did not want a hand out. They did their own thinking.) If you read some of the things I wrote about school systems you’ll remember that, based on the lowest tier of the Prussian system, students were, simply, taught to obey, “follow blindly.” So we indoctrinate people to rely on the “state” (whether it is an organization or nation) and assume that they will take care of us and have our best motives at heart. HA! Stephen Covey tells us that he reviewed success literature in the US and noticed a change in it. Initially it was centered on the “Character Ethic” and subsequently changed to the “Personality Ethic.” The literature he surveyed in the first 150 years of the American Republic (yep – not a democracy – there’s a difference) were founded on the character ethic: integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, and the Golden Rule. Compare these to the 26 Divine Qualities needed for Self-realization, stated in the Bhagavad Gita starting on page 956 (or thereabouts – if memory serves me correctly). The first quality mentioned in the Gita is Fearlessness. (“Stand amidst the crash of breaking worlds.”) Notice the date of the “end” of the character ethic era: around 1925 or so. Hmmmm. What was happening in the US at the time? How did the country (or world) shift to, what Covey calls the Personality Ethic: social image consciousness, techniques, and quick fixes. (Dressing for success, looking good, projecting a positive image, etc.) He quotes Emerson: "What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say." (If you haven’t read his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, get it; it might be worthwhile to review.) Ghandi was helping people to become independent of the government and state, I feel. At the same time, in the US, people were learning to rely on the government to take care of them. How many people today work out of their homes? How many want to take the chance and do that? Most assume that there is security in working for someone else. Really. Think Enron. It is an individual choice. The problem I feel is when people look for security outside of their Selves. All external crutches must go at some time. I feel people have abdicated their responsibility to take care of themselves and given it over to a company or organization or whatever. (This is something I struggle with, too. I’m writing some of my observations here.) What about SRF? Well, have you seen the movie The Perfect Storm? (Not necessary to see it.) In the movie a fishing boat left Gloucester, MA, and encountered an horrific storm. All hands were lost. My point is the waves (computer-generated) were colossal. Imagine SRF as a boat on the ocean of delusion with waves such as in The Perfect Storm. You’d think they’d have some effect on the decisions and events happening within the boat, right? Not necessarily. You’re eating lunch, during the storm, and the dishes slide across the table and break on the floor. If you notice the broken dishes, you are the problem and you are not thinking positively. If you repeatedly notice that you keep bumping into people (the “cement mixer” model) and speak about it, you have the wrong attitude. Never mind that some use WWF wrestling move body-slams during the tumult, it’s “training.” Maybe you'd pretend nothing is happening. Good luck. So we have, it would appear, a society produced to rely on “experts” and simply obey, to rely on the “state” to provide for them, and whatever happens, remain "docile." What happens to those who “think?” They need to be cast aside. This is not simply SRF. This type of behavior happens in all organizations and countries or groups. Most do not want change. Most go with the flow because it is comfortable for them. What happens when we give our power away? We stop thinking. Our center is moved outward to an external locus of control. We have less control over ourselves, over our lives. We become victims. In fact, I would say that many people may not want the freedom that Ghandhi espoused, especially if they have to do it themselves! Like a caged bird that remains inside when the cage is opened, many may not wish to be free. One solution I would suggest is that we give ourselves permission to think for ourselves and question authority. (Don’t very young children drive their parents crazy with their incessant “Why?” and “How come?” mantras?) Teach children to think, too. Sure, show them facts, but I would suggesting showing them how you arrived at a conclusion and them asking them how they would arrive at a conclusion. Learn history. Learn to look behind history, meaning, it’s generally written by the victorious. What did the vanquished write/say? What else was happening? I write this because I feel that in understanding history, you may develop a better understanding of SRF’s behavior. Master mentions not being a doormat. In order to do so, one must think. "I was only following orders" was used at the Nuremburg trials - and it was not a valid excuse. Whew! If you’re still awake at this point – I must thank you. Sorry it’s so lengthy.
AumBoy Registered User (5/14/02 6:42 pm) Reply ezSupporter	1925. 1925 is the approximate point where Covey describes the Character Ethic dying and the Personality Ethic coming to the fore. If this is the midpoint of a 30-year period, a lot of stuff happened: 1910-1940 Federal Reserve Act; World War I; Prohibition (America tries to become everyone’s Mother); Master arrives; Great Depression; Money begins to be taken off the Gold Standard (A move from substance to faith); World War II; plus some stuff I've mentioned above. Much of this is pretty stressful. People feel beaten down. Possibly losing hope? Looking outside for quick fixes? Government mistakes. Did more and more people expect government, an organization, a group, to fix things for them? (After, possibly, botching things up in the first place?) With SRF as I described in the “storm,” most may not question whether things can be improved, meaning SRF is perfect. If you’re constantly being bumped around, how can you tell if it’s intentional or accidental? If it’s God’s plan or Satan’s mischief? If God’s plan is perfect (and I do believe it is), SRF viewpoint seems to be: only look at the positive, nothing can be improved, Master didn’t discuss (look at) problems therefore we'll follow his "guidance." It’s almost as if the very outdated adage in use is “Children should be seen and not heard.” How does one manifest their uniqueness in a environment seeking to shut one up? Is everyone outside the BOD is “children?” Just some rambling...
Should Free Registered User (5/16/02 12:44 am) Reply ezSupporter	Freedom to chose, power to exercise Hi Aumboy You say: <<<We stop thinking. Our center is moved outward to an external locus of control. We have less control over ourselves, over our lives. We become victims. In fact, I would say that many people may not want the freedom that Ghandhi espoused, especially if they have to do it themselves! Like a caged bird that remains inside when the cage is opened, many may not wish to be free.>>> It is interesting your point. I have seen consistently that when we give our power away to someone else, sooner or later we become a victim. No one likes to be a victim, so here is an excellent "red light" to watch for. If we are giving our power away we are asking for troubles -- we are at high risk of soon becoming victims. Of course we have to give power away to some degree or we become control friks. However, we better be careful. As the world is full of control fricks like the nuns it is also full of fools that easily give away their power. And we were there, isn't it? That is our responsibility! If we take responsibility for having done that, we may heal faster and avoid future relapses -- like becoming part of another abusive cult. Edited by: Should Free at: 6/4/02 10:38:16 pm

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Email This To a Friend

Email This To a Friend
Topic Control Image

Topic Control Image

Click to receive email notification of replies

Click to stop receiving email notification of replies

jump to:

- SRF Walrus - Core Issues -

Powered By ezboard® Ver. 7.32
Copyright ©1999-2005 ezboard, Inc.