Mike - My son was 2-1/2 when I left with him, so who knows what abandonment issues he has? He does have abandonment issues but there’s no way I can prove it stemmed from his separation from his parents from age 8 months to 2 years, 3 months. I don’t know if you were there, but I could see very little of him as he was in Tomales and I was in Santa Monica. I have terrible PTSD from it. There is no research; just anecdotal stories from the children who were there long enough to remember.
That is only a part -- and for me, a very small part -- of living in Synanon. I feel that what I got -- aerobics, not eating sugar, eating wheat bran, learning to use my freedom of speech, helping people change their lives -- was PRICELESS. The only negative I can think of was getting only 7 hours' sleep during the "Wall-nuts" (?). Why blame anyone else for your actions? ...
I blame no one but myself for caving to peer pressure and staying too long. My point is that aerobics and no sugar were healthy, but they didn’t rise organically from our community. They were edicts handed down by an authoritarian leader. I agree that the best part of Synanon was helping other people. Of that I am proud.
I disagree. Aerobics was suggested by an outside lawyer. I don't know exactly how it became a rule, but it was BRILLIANT anyway. Stopping sugar & eating wheat bran came from our doctors. Making them an edict doesn't make them bad. Society is full of rules, most of them worthy ideas. You always have the choice of ignoring them, but WHY? Don't wear your seatbelt; see what happens. Who cares where an idea came from, if it's a good idea?
Mike - My son was 2-1/2 when I left with him, so who knows what abandonment issues he has? He does have abandonment issues but there’s no way I can prove it stemmed from his separation from his parents from age 8 months to 2 years, 3 months. I don’t know if you were there, but I could see very little of him as he was in Tomales and I was in Santa Monica. I have terrible PTSD from it. There is no research; just anecdotal stories from the children who were there long enough to remember.
That is only a part -- and for me, a very small part -- of living in Synanon. I feel that what I got -- aerobics, not eating sugar, eating wheat bran, learning to use my freedom of speech, helping people change their lives -- was PRICELESS. The only negative I can think of was getting only 7 hours' sleep during the "Wall-nuts" (?). Why blame anyone else for your actions? ...
I blame no one but myself for caving to peer pressure and staying too long. My point is that aerobics and no sugar were healthy, but they didn’t rise organically from our community. They were edicts handed down by an authoritarian leader. I agree that the best part of Synanon was helping other people. Of that I am proud.
I disagree. Aerobics was suggested by an outside lawyer. I don't know exactly how it became a rule, but it was BRILLIANT anyway. Stopping sugar & eating wheat bran came from our doctors. Making them an edict doesn't make them bad. Society is full of rules, most of them worthy ideas. You always have the choice of ignoring them, but WHY? Don't wear your seatbelt; see what happens. Who cares where an idea came from, if it's a good idea?
Good discussion, and isn’t that what writing is all about. I wear my seatbelt, but I’m not asked to leave my home/city/country if I don’t wear it.
Was your son/daughter harmed by being in the Synanon school, and not with you? Were you harmed? I haven't heard any research about it.