Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
GTD 'cult'
duus | Sep 5 2006
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] 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] 72 Comments
POSTED IN:
 I am a long time...Submitted by jcandito on February 25, 2007 - 3:26pm.
I am a long time GTD user and have joined this forum primary to post a response to this thread. I have found FreeWilly's posts fascinating, enlightening and disconcerting. I am glad 43 Folders has not "edited" or deleted them. I want to make a few points. First, I disagree with most of FreeWilly's arguments. I see no connection between actively using GTD in my personal and professional life and MSIA. I am not surprised by DA's involvement in MSIA. I have listen to enough interviews to know that DA is still a "hippy" of sorts. MSIA is a modern day extention of the late 60s and 70s "Berkley experience". My take on GTD is just what FreeWilly ended up doing: creating your own personal method for being productive. Second, I am surprised and BOTHERED by that fact that ALL of the folks at davidco.com are members of MSIA, and that steps have been taken to delete all public connection between these folks and MSIA on the web. The editing of the discussions and forums on davidco.com doesn't bother me as much because that is just good business. Essentially, the davidco.com website is a vehicle for the promotion and advertising of products for company sales. Those kinds of posts have no place in one's "ads" for the company, i.e. they don't promote company sales. However, the personal attacks on critics of GTD and David Allen have always bothered me EVEN THOUGH I DISAGREE WITH MOST of the critics. In the end, there is something disconcerting and ingenuine about failing to disclose the connection between the davidco.com staff and their involvement in MSIA. Is it all a business decision??? FreeWilly makes me think. Jcandito » POSTED IN:
|
|
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
