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Hi Susan,
Thoughts on dismissiveness
Posted by:
lakeshore
Date:
09/19/2023, 19:56:11
Original URL:
Click here (However, the link may be stale.)
I've thought a lot about dismissiveness lately and landed on the notion of not letting my guard down just yet.I doubt that anyone can ever know the full extent of the "collateral damage" Prem Rawat left in his greedy, hypocritical and deceptive wake. It's a gut wrenching list that includes children of premies raised in that environment, parents and spouses of premies who were abandoned and countless others. (How hollow must my father have felt when I suddently abandoned him for a decade?) None of them did anything to bring that kind of pain and confusion upon themselves.It's easy to dismiss a shrinking, aging "has been" movement as something that will likely vanish into obscurity. But I still get worked-up over cult initiatives like PEP, the Global Peace Education Network and others because to the casual observer, they appear to be legitimate, well orchestrated and even attractive. PEP seems to have evaded scrutiny and GPEC has pulled in a lot of organizations and people with stellar credentials who are definitely not premies.I did, however, make a tiny little mistake. As Prembio pointed out, it's a virtual seminar and not the big multi-day in-person conference I envisioned. (Sorry... I was born in a different yuga and I haven't caught-up to the wonders of modern technology!) Then there was that silly little detail about miniscule views he pointed out. 
Consequently, I completely understand dismissing the cult as a bunch of aging loyalists with little reach. Then it occurred to me that maybe I was confusing growth potential with... quality. I'm impressed with its polished appearance, gutsy determination and apparent ability to collaborate seamlessly with other legitimate organizations and highly accomplished individuals. Not that it will necessarily amount to much, but I have to give credit where credit is due. They've gotten their act together on a very different level and they're adept at the use of social media.Premies who rise to those circles are often highly intelligent people who leverage their successful careers, businesses and titles - much of it networked - for legitimacy when making connections. Moreover, few people are as motivated (service to their master, the cause trumps ethics, etc.) to do what they do with such impeccable quality. They infiltrate in an orchestrated attempt to connect with people they perceive to be influencers and then they leverage their connections use them to climb further up the ladder.Surely Prem's well-documented history is deterring countless people, but apparently not everyone. Moreover, when push comes to shove, it's too easily dismissed: "Oh, that's just how he was raised as a child. His parents dressed him up in those traditional costumes. It was cute at the time, but he left it all behind a long time ago to dedicate himself to serving others as a humanitarian and peace educator. He's received every award imaginable for his selfless efforts. And did you know he's a highly respected pilot who flies his own jet!"However large or small the scale may be and as done as I am with the cult, it's clear to me that the cult is not done. It appears the people doing their cult thing are just as shameless as they've always been, especially in terms of their insideous ability to cover-up Prem's past, put up a polished and legitimate front and deceive people about the true nature of their involvement with him.
