Mod

"I'd just like to express a heartfelt thanks to those of you here who have sent me supportive messages. And how telling it is that they don't feel comfortable saying their piece on the open forum because they know too well they'll face a barrage of insults.

All I was trying to do was bring a subject up for debate - namely why we were suckered and why some of us stayed suckered for so long. My bringing in examples like addiction was only to illustrate that when people get messed up by inanimate things, there's no one to hold responsible but oneself. Just because a guru is a live human being (therefore a valid target for blame) is no reason to look at the reasons why each one of us individually may have been suckered, when so many other people in similar circumstances to our own at the time, yet managed to withstand the pressure to "snap".

None of this means I'm trying to let M off any hook, and my feelings towards him and all the revisionism haven't changed one iota. To come here and be called a revisionist or an apologist for M when expressing interest in why we were suckered etc, is troubling to say the least.

Any group can take on a group identity with group attitudes and it's something to watch out for. A place for healthy and lively debate is a different kettle of fish to a place where people with ideas they'd like to express feel intimidated and afraid to express them for fear of being pilloried or even bullied and hounded off the forum.

The messages I've received over the last few days are all supportive, so I'm glad I'm not alone in having these feelings. If you really want to be a place where people thinking of exing can feel comfortable to express all their doubts and fears without fear of being ridiculed for expressing a contrary view to what appears to be the centrally held one, then this place won't be the forum it should be.

I think this place used to be a lot better, to be honest.

Goodbye to all, and a special thanks to Cynthia, OTS, and a few others for being polite and warm in their communications with me on the open forum even though we may not always agree.