#312 Go to a Landmark Forum Meeting
“Now turn to the person who brought you here and tell them why you accepted their invitation to come tonight. Share,” the speaker said.
I looked over at Kelly, the wife of one of my friends. We hadn’t really spent that much time together and never without her husband. But here we were on a random Tuesday night, “sharing.”
I got an email a few days ago from Kelly. The subject was: “Invitation to a Something Scary.”
In the email she told me about this seminar she had attended this past weekend. She said it was hard to describe but it was kind of like a spring cleaning for your head. If your head was like one of those houses on the TV show Hoarders.
The seminar was called Landmark Forums. She then said, “Now you may have heard it’s a cult BUT…”
Actually, I hadn’t even heard of Landmark Forums. A quick internet search revealed that was some sort of class to teach you how to live your life better. Exactly how that accomplished was pretty vague which added to the whole cult perception. Why couldn’t people who had taken the class be more specific about what goes on there? While that perception was out there, it seemed that people who investigated it, found it to be harmless and even helpful.
But I stayed away from reading anything too specific. I wanted to go in there with a fresh a mind as possible. Whether or not they washed that mind remained to be seen.
I wasn’t even exactly sure what was going to happen at this meeting. Was it like a trial day of the class? Was I going to have to actually do something? Those added to my growing sense of fear. But the scariest thing of all was that I had to drive from the Valley to LAX during rush hour.
I got to the building by LAX where the class was about ten minutes late. Kelly had texted me and said she was saving me a seat inside. There were a lot of late people like me. Once inside the building, I took the elevator to the second floor. I was directed into a sign in room where a woman who was seemed a little too happy and chipper gave me a name tag to put my name on. She also gave me a pamphlet then directed me into the main room.
And that’s where I sat now. In a room of a hundred strangers. Lenny, the guy running the show, looked like a cross between Freddy Mercury and Mr. Spock, but bald. He seemed like a pleasant enough fellow. At ease with the crowd, cracking jokes but still serious about what he was talking about.
He started out by describing what was wrong with most people. How they couldn’t get what they wanted out of life whether that was in their career or in relationships or something else.
Kelly had already shared with me why she invited me to come tonight. First of all she thought it would be a good post for my blog. But secondly and most importantly, she thought it could really help me. “You know, from what I’ve read about you in your blog.” In other words, my blog revealed what a hot mess I was.
Now it was my time to share with Kelly. I told her I came tonight because yes, I did think it would be a great blog post. But I also greatly appreciated that she thought of me to bring in the first place. That she was thinking not only of the blog, but me as a person. She truly wanted to help me out.
I’ve said it before, but that’s the amazing thing about SYED. I feel like it’s brought me closer to people in a way that never would have happened otherwise.
The rest of the class was describing how Landmark Forums could help you achieve everything you wanted out of life. Then people who took the class this weekend “shared” their stories. I had been getting the cultish vibe a little before that point. But then it came on strong because the people who shared seemed a bit too happy. A little bit too wide eyed and eager. They were practically salivating at the prospect of living. Which is cool I guess, but a bit off putting. For the record, Kelly seemed excited about the program but still very much grounded. Some of the people I saw, however, looked like they were ready to blast off into space.
One of the interesting things I noticed is a lot of the stuff they said you would do in the class, I’ve already done in SYED. I’ve told loved ones my feelings about them. I’ve adjusted my career goals. I’ve taken steps to change my life. Maybe I should turn SYED into a cult…
Then came the worst part. The selling of the class. Kelly was supposed to sell the class to me but she said she wouldn’t. In fact, she wanted to leave early to grab a bite to eat. Music to my ears. When we were leaving, she seemed nervous. “I have to give them back my name badge,” she said. So? “They’ll know I’m leaving early.”
Ok, if you didn’t want to make it seem like a cult, you probably shouldn’t have said that.
When we tried to leave, the woman Kelly gave the badge back to gave her a hard sell on taking some “advanced” classes.
I understand that while the objective is to help people, it’s still a business. Still, it would’ve been a lot more appealing without the hard sell. That’s what makes people think it’s a cult. The pressure to join usually works on the most desperate people. The appeal of a better life beckons to those in greatest need.
I didn’t think Landmark Forums was a cult. It definitely wasn’t as creepy as my adventures in Scientology. However, I did seem some similarities between those two. At their core, they seem to both want people to get “better.” Whatever that means. Which is not a bad thing. Their methodology, in both cases, may be questionable. Now maybe something gets all fucked up the deeper you get into it, I don’t know. I’ve only dealt with surface level stuff.
Kelly, like I’m sure other people who have taken Landmark, are quick to distance themselves from Scientology. But really, you can’t do that unless you explore Scientology on your own. Because Scientology, at least early on, is a self-help program too. I can draw surface level conclusions from both only because I’ve had some experience with them.
Would I ever take the class? I don’t know. Perhaps. The most dangerous thing about the class is that after three days, people seem to think their lives have changed. But no one can change their life in three days. You may think you can and you may for awhile, but without constant work on your own, you’re going to revert back to your old ways.
