A few thoughts

Discussion of the SES, particularly in the UK.
ingr
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 4:26 pm

A few thoughts

Postby ingr » Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:37 pm

Hi,

Its my first post and i realise much of this will have been said in various forms before but i wanted to get my slant on being in the SES until 2005 - when i saw the light!

I had, what might be called a 'gradual process of disengagement' of loss of interest in the philosophy . . . I just failed to find it "pratical" people who had never heard of the place seemed to get along just fine without it and, to be honest often better and more efficient (in terms of being in the workplace) I used to also often get along perfectly ok, for example despite not having remembered the exercise we were given to think about for that week:) - or i could have a lousy day desipte having 'got up when i woke up' etc - It all transpired to me that something was more fundamentally important and that i had to believe in my own ability in the workplace. The issue is it was suggested that weekends at Waterperry were a laboratory for the real world and should be used as such . . . seems like obvious nonsense now, i mean when do you decide you do NOT have to be dependent on the philosophy, its a bit of a now or never, dog chasing its own tail type situation, the philosophy is clearly not of any use in the world because what concerned me was they were trying to make something universal, the ability to be independent in the world, into something rather more exclusive, if you told someone who had never heard of the SES that sounding the sanskit alphabet was useful when negotiating the delayed payment of an invoice or something, you might get a very strange look, i think you would definately have some explaining to do, but in the school it just washes over you.

I used to work with someone who was very critical of it, (not because i said things like the above . . . lol) anyway one day he remarked that someone else who was in the philosophy working at the company seemed more open and friendly, it transpired that he had recently left the school, which just about says it all!! The whole set up just seemed very exclusionary and all based round the artificial 'system'

Sorry if this all seems superficial compared with what went on at St. James, ive actually just finished Clara Salamans book, i'm quite thankful i didn't have to go through anything like that,

On a mainly theraputic basis, i just wondered if anyone else had any similar thoughts . . .

Tootsie
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:37 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby Tootsie » Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:41 pm

Hi ingr, and welcome to the form. If anybody has worked with SES pupils doing maintenance such as painting the Schools properties, they would certainly agree with you that they were not very efficient in their work. I personally would not let them near my house because I know I would have to clean up their mess after they finished!

There is a classic tale about a member of the SES who worked in a busy office, and followed the school rule about pausing twice during the day at certain times and remembering the group. Well one day at 4.00 pm the office where he worked was really busy so he decided to go into a storeroom cupboard that was so small it had no lights in it and do the pause with his eyes closed etc. Well his boss by chance just happened to open the cupboard door when he was standing in the dark with his eyes closed amongst all the brooms. His boss got such a fright that he let out an expletive and the whole office came over to see what had happened. Don't know what he told his boss, but he found other employment soon after this occurrence.

ingr
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 4:26 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby ingr » Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:06 am

Hi,

Yes that was a good story, not one i've heard before, i have to say, the rigid framework of knowing the answer before you've asked the question etc etc, does rather lend itself to things being taken literally, i mean its almost as if when your in SES your smug, thinking you know things other people don't, actually in reality its the other way round. . . people can just be normal and not be weighed down down by a second SES career . . . much simpler :)

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morrigan
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:06 am

Re: A few thoughts

Postby morrigan » Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:10 pm

And many people from "outside" have gone to Waterperry and enjoyed it, with out realising how hard the work was that was demanded from SofP and SES people, and how that would exhaust them, rather than enjoying the time there as the visitors did.

stiltrubld
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:26 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby stiltrubld » Mon Nov 23, 2009 1:06 pm

Hello ingr,

You mentioned that you left SES in 2005, if you don’t mind me asking how long were you in, did you do many residentials?

You wrote about the practices given in the SES (to access the 'present moment') and said:

It all transpired to me that something was more fundamentally important and that i had to believe in my own ability in the workplace.


Many people find these practices useful as far as they go, but you make the interesting point that many people get along just fine without them! These so-called ‘practices’ are of course only things to help people remember to simply 'pay attention', this is what our mums used to say to us when we were little, isn't it? Mine did! So, it’s actually very simple and quickly learned - in theory. That doesn't mean that continued practice and deepening of understanding and attending an organisation for that purpose is not useful.

It does also seem that people tend to get hooked on the group, the 'practices' and various other things in SES, some of which may not necessarily be useful – ‘getting up when you wake up’ translates on the residentials as getting up at about 5am, well before you would have woken up naturally in fact!! This leads to sleep deprivation with all kinds of consequences, many of which give the SES its ‘culty’ image. I have heard a couple of people that I would described as more ‘spiritual’ than anyone I have ever met in SES extolling the virtues of sleep and rest, especially since most people lead quite hectic lives.

You mention independence and believing in yourself, and I think this is an important point. I am not entirely sure how it happens but people tend to become dependent on the organisation and the organisation is definitely dependent upon the students’ voluntary help too. The SES ‘system’ seems to create a kind of circular dependency. In fact I often heard SES referred to as a 'club', like a golf club my level head used to say, and I used to tell him that it wasn't a club, but was supposed to be a school teaching 'Truth' or spiritual development, and that it didn't belong to those at the top of the hierarchy either, but to everyone!

Real spiritual development, if there is any such thing, surely leads to self-trust, an independent spirit and to humility, not an attitude of ‘specialness’ or exclusivity that you pointed out, and the associated superiority that some seem to feel about attending the SES. People I would regard as ‘spiritual’ also tend to lead lives that help others in some way, or at least spirituality leads to becoming more caring, tolerant and observant of other’s needs and perspectives.

Stiltrubld
Last edited by stiltrubld on Thu May 24, 2012 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
SES: 1990 - 2009 London (Female)

ingr
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 4:26 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby ingr » Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:23 pm

Hi,

Sure, i was in the SES from 1993 . . . i went into the youth group when i was in part 1! So yeah plenty of experience of Waterperry (and Nanpantan) generally depending on whether it was a youth group or "M" level weekend. I guess the information in my first post might have got you guessing, if you think you might know who i am, feel free to PM me . . .

Theres another concept i came across called 'coasting' basically just going through the motions without really making much effort, the onus was always on the individual to make more effort, without being interested in the cause of the state of affairs, like lack of sleep, it always gave the impression of the individual somehow being 'wrong' there always seemed to be people who were more concious, it plays a game which only worked in the organisation, you always seemed to feel you had something to 'prove' about how you were getting on, so reasonable critical questions would go unasked there would be the feeling of knowing what the answer would be anyway - remember the self etc, which is actually very ambiguous in so far as it has no relavance in the outside world, so one tends to just carry on in the most 'normal' way possible, mentally it just becomes like a hall of mirrors, its easy to end up giving obsevations, telling people what they want to hear, theres a 'schism' created between SES and the outside world and between you and your tutor, glad to be out that place :) hope i havn't rambled on too much and that it makes sense!

Tootsie
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:37 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby Tootsie » Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:35 am

You know you have made the grade in the SES when you become a tutor. You can be brain dead but it doesn't really matter as long as the show goes on. And there are plenty of slaves to keep the show running. I once asked the leader of the school why they put idiots in charge, his answer was, because that's what the Absolute provided. So don't blame the SES, blame the Absolute for all the shenanigans that may cause displeasure.

stiltrubld
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:26 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby stiltrubld » Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:02 pm

Hi ingr,

You wrote:

Sure, i was in the SES from 1993 . . . i went into the youth group when i was in part 1! So yeah plenty of experience of Waterperry (and Nanpantan) generally depending on whether it was a youth group or "M" level weekend. I guess the information in my first post might have got you guessing, if you think you might know who i am, feel free to PM me . . .


I can't guess who you are, but am intrigued now! I expect if you have read any of my ramblings, if we were in the same level for a while, you will know who I am. I’ll PM you sometime.

Stiltrubld
Last edited by stiltrubld on Thu May 24, 2012 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SES: 1990 - 2009 London (Female)

Just someone
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:10 pm

Re: A few thoughts

Postby Just someone » Thu Aug 05, 2010 1:17 pm

stiltrubld wrote:Real spiritual development, if there is any such thing, surely leads to self-trust, an independent spirit and to humility, not an attitude of ‘specialness’ or exclusivity that you pointed out, and the associated superiority that some seem to feel about attending the SES. People I would regard as ‘spiritual’ also tend to lead lives that help others in some way, or at least spirituality leads to becoming more caring, tolerant and observant of other’s needs and perspectives.

Stiltrubld


Well said.
I don't think the outward signs are an attribute that exclusively identifies such a one, but as far as the majority of ses-ers go, their maturity in spirituality surely would have outward signs such as these.
Regards

Just someone


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