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GTD 'cult'

so a friend of mine sent me this message. I am a big fan of GTD and find it very useful. I'm just puttin' this out there.

[INDENT]
I was excited to sit down to read "Getting Things Done" today. It's a great gift. I was so excited that I even read the acknowledgments, to be complete about the whole thing. At the end of the acknowledgments I noticed that David Allen thanks someone named "J-R" for being his "spiritual coach."

Uh-oh. "J-R" seemed like it might stand for John-Roger -- the controversial cult leader and spiritual guru. And it does.

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/msia.html

David Allen, his wife, and many of his employees are ministers in the MSIA (Movement of Spritual Inner Awareness), John-Roger's church:

http://www.ndh.org/template.php3?ID=65 http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner/Ana_Maria_Gonz%E1lez/article14.html (employee quoting John-Roger)

Anti-cult websites accuse GTD of being part of a program to recruit people into MSIA. Their view seems paranoid to me, but you can read it for yourself:

http://forum.rickross.com/viewtopic.php?t=2193 http://forum.rickross.com/viewtopic.php?p=15025&sid=e3195755a2185f9b4710580921d3f527

Now, I'm not saying that Getting Things Done isn't a good book about priorities and organization. David Allen may have very good advice about that stuff. But I am saying don't go to a David Allen seminar, get mixed up with the David Allen Company, or get too involved with the hard-core GTD crowd -- at least not without taking some anti-brainwashing measures. Seriously. This John-Roger character and his followers are not a joke.

I learned about John-Roger a long time ago, as it happens, because in high school I read a self-help book called "Life 101" that he "co-wrote" with Peter McWilliams, the poet and anti-drug-war activist. In 1994, not long after I read "Life 101," McWilliams wrote an expose called "Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You." McWilliams left MSIA in 1994 after 15 years of being brainwashed. It turned out that John-Roger manipulated him into giving him co-authorship in return for keeping McWilliams alive. You see, John-Roger had the power to keep McWilliams alive because -- and this will surprise you -- John-Roger claims to be the incarnation of God on earth.

John-Roger has also made headlines in connection with Arianna Huffington -- who admits to being a close friend and who has been accused (though she's never admitted it) of being an MSIA minister as well.

[/INDENT]

FreeWilly's picture

I'll just add a couple...

I'll just add a couple more points, as I am short of time, but perhaps I can come back later.

I think some folks have the mistaken idea that "cults" are all bald-headed tambourine thumping wackjobs. Not any more. There are many white-collar global organizations which are highly sophisticated, and who use dozens of very subtle and POWERFUL techniques to draw people into their groups, for many reasons. Usually to make money, but also for other reasons. (sex, power, etc)
Also, a "cult" is not just something where people believe weird things, and mainstream religions are not cults. There are various definitions, and here is one of them.
http://www.rickross.com/warningsigns.html
By this definition, MSIA is a cult, lead by John-Roger and now John Morton.

So why is every key member of DavidCo a high-level member of MSIA?

You will notice some strangeness, and serious lack of disclosure with David Allen. Sadly, him doing this has only hurt his own reputation and credibility. For instance, David Allen is very vague about his past doing "consulting". Its clear now that he has been working for MSIA, doing all sorts of seminars for them, for the past decades. So I consider it dishonest, and a serious lack of disclosure, for him to "twist" his words, and "forget" to mention that he has been working for MSIA linked companies for decades.
LETS SEE DAVID ALLENS ACTUAL RESUME, as opposed to vague stories.

Why does he do this?
Because of the horrendous reputation of John-Roger, Insight seminars, and Co.
David Allen defended John-Roger on his own forum, and then had it deleted.
So David Allen is a huge supporter and defender of J-R. ok fine, then why hide it? Then why delete it? They why refuse to address the problems?
Send David Allen an email, or post something on the GTD forum asking David Allen what his relationship to J-R is, and why J-R is credited #1 in his first book?
(you will get deletions, silence, ambiguous Doublespeak, and evasion).

Also, it is strange how David Allen was mentioning his new toys, etc. Because in GTD Fast, he talks about how he never thought he'd be living that kind of life. Why? What does that mean?
Because people who devote themselves to MSIA, give MSIA all their money, or work for free for MSIA, thus live in crappy apartments, and don't get married, etc.
So the question is, was David Allen "assigned" by J-R to go "into the world" and "spread the message?" covertly?

Also, all the pieces come together with MSIA. David Allen talks about learning to play the flute. ok, whatever.
But he does not mention that this is also related to MSIA, and how the flute is some type of mystical sound in their cosmology.
Notice how he always leaves the MSIA connection out?
That is the deception.

Also, MSIA owns countless front companies, and businesses.
As someone else has mentioned, who owns the building DavidCo is in, MSIA?
Who put up the money to launch DavidCo? MSIA, or one of their many companies?

But getting more specific, groups like MSIA have many purposes. One of them is to MAKE MONEY. Obviously, GTD is a corporate MSIA arm, to make money.
But money is never enough. Here is a specific example.

Jason Womack, who is a coach with DavidCo, is MSIA. He also constantly recommends books by John-Roger. That's it right there. That's all it takes. The J-R, MSIA books and many other programs are very carefully designed to bring people in, one baby-step at a time.
What these groups do is go into companies, and provide a "service".
but because GTD can get so complex and difficult, then people need "coaching". Then during coaching people can be "streamed" and "suggested" to go to one of many entrances to MSIA. (a J-R book, a tape, a secular website covertly linked to MSIA, etc). They approach people where they are.

David Allen has just launched such a service called GTD Connect.

A couple more points.
These groups like MSIA, or Scientology, do NOT try to get everyone. They look for folks who are compliant, people who are "looking for something", people who are vulnerable.
MSIA does what is called "Love-Bombing", which is a type of emotional sensory overload for vulnerable people, and here is a creepy photo of one. (it might be David Allen on the left). (also note that John-Roger refuses to let all those MSIA followers touch him!)
http://www.ndh.org/slideshow.php3?category=AUG2003_SUPER2&id=57&srcnum=431

Here is David Allen doing a one-on-one Love Bomb...(notice all the sexy photos, this is done for obvious recruiting reasons!)
http://www.ndh.org/slideshow.php3?category=AUG2003_SUPER2&id=43&srcnum=431

Why does MSIA post this stuff? Because its all recruiting stuff. They practice deception and hide what is going on behind the scenes, yet at the same time need to leave some "clues" to attract "seekers". That is how they grow, recruit, recruit, recruit.

And John-Roger is not benign. He has done some truly horrendous things.
So how does this fit into GTD?
Its pretty simple.
GTD is a way for MSIA to get into the business world, and run seminars, etc, to get lots of cash-flow. DavidCo recently jacked up all their prices, and have launched GTD-Connect, to make as much money as possible.
Next, all of the DavidCo GTD coaches are MSIA folks, and they simple build relationships with their clients, screen them, filter them, identify Prospects, and then subtly "stream" them into one of the dozens of MSIA entry points.

If all of DavidCo's coaches are MSIA, then they should identify themselves as such when they are recommending books by their Leader J-R. Jason Womack needs to come out of the MSIA closet, and come clean. But MSIA will not let them do that.

Also, trying to do the entire GTD system can drive you nuts, and leads people into needing coaching. Don't bother with trying to do the "entire system". If you have been struggling for ages trying to "do the whole Monty", then just drop it. Dump it, trash it. The so-called total system is not what it is sold to be. You might feel an enormous weight dropped off your shoulders when you junk the "entire system".
Make your own personal system. Sure, keep some things you find useful, but just do things your own way. Don't believe the hype.

Also, be very careful when your GTD coach starts making suggestions. This is why DavidCo has suppressed the info about the MSIA connection. Simple knowledge about makes their job about 100x harder, as people get suspicious.
The problem is the deception, and omission is deception.
Ask your coach if they are MSIA face to face...

The fault for this is David Allen's conscious decision to not come clean about all this right up front. But that is how MSIA works, they have no problem lying about whatever it takes, to do what they need to do, and usually have some self-righteous justification for it. But that's what makes groups like MSIA into a "cult", because they have to use deception to try and get to people. Now these days, they are also using all kinds of "mind-f*ck" techniques on people, its down to a complex science at this point.

MSIA also has tons of followers who have used the Internet to promote GTD using covert viral marketing. Some of the blog guys who have promoted GTD, are linked with GTD in business, and even MSIA.
Here is Marc Orchant who had to be reminded he was in a conflict of interest when promoting GTD!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Orchant/index.php?p=196 (from above website) [="Red"]"That same former employer recently sponsored a two-day GTD workshop for a select group of teachers here in New Mexico and I had the good fortune to work with Wayne Pepper, one of DavidCo's coaches, in making that event a great success. Finally, I fully intend to expose as many of my new compatriots at Foldera to GTD as I can." [/]

Wayne Pepper is another MSIA big-wig.
http://www.ndh.org/template.php3?ID=385

GTD is a creation of whole team of MSIA people who designed it, and are selling it. It exists not just on the level of alleged personal organization. It also exists on a META-LEVEL, in terms of what they are trying to DO to you, without your awareness. Take 5 steps back, and look how its designed, sold, promoted, and the up-selling to MSIA linked services.
One thing that David Allen said that was true...there is more to GTD than first meets the eye. Have a look under the hood.

Also, notice the extreme and histrionic intolerance for criticism or analysis from some of the GTD "followers".
[="Blue"]"No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry"[/] is #2 on the cult Warning Sign list.

 
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