Poor member still waiting to hear from Danny Nagashima

"This past week I've gone through a major trial of negativity, one so severe that Danny Nagashima is going to call me this week to let me vent. I've been so pissed off, my fundamental darkness so strong, my personal obstacles so severe that my senior leaders gave me the number to the national level to call, I talked with Jim Nobukuni, and he passed me to Danny to handle, as that's how crucial a point in my faith that I''m at. 

He's going to hear about how I can't stand the constant negativity of members, the lack of passion, the lack of support and the years of trying to understand an incredibly complicated philosophy that has most of it couched in arcane language and too much metaphor with no current historical context that it makes the simplest concepts too difficult for us Americans to understand and grasp. He's going to hear that thousands of members are quitting because they can't grasp Buddhism and are not getting benefit. He's going to hear that we need a different kind of evolution in the organization, since the structure and practices that are employed now have resulted in epic fail for thousands of people. He's going to hear that the SGI-USA needs to be dynamic, vigorous, passionate and exciting and readily accessible and understandable if it stands a chance of surviving in America, where one thing we do very well is complain about anything and everything. He's going to hear that we have to be more "americentric" in the way that we conduct activities in this country, with clarification of concepts IN PLAIN ENGLISH, and not base things on an operational model that worked 50 years ago in another country and culture, one that is misconstrued, misunderstood and misinterpreted, because it's so foreign. SGI-USA really DOES have to be "Made The American Way" in order to be successful and for people to really get benefit. He's going to hear that Buddhism has ALWAYS evolved and adapted to the culture in which it was practiced in for centuries, and we DON'T have to have one universal methodology based upon Japanese culture. He's going to hear that we need more MALE voices in teleconferences and publications, and allow us men to stand up and fight to change our Karma instead of just supporting the other 3 divisions. Actually, those are all things that I personally need in order to continue on practicing, but I know that I'm not the only one that feels this way. 

I'll be sure to let everyone know how he responds, and I hope that what he has to say can clarify a lot of things for you folks (and for myself). I hope that he says "be the leader to make the change", to which I'll reply "I'd love to, as our local leadership are all in their 60s and 70s. Can you please "retire" some of them so that I can chant at toso with a passionate, fighting spirit without being bogged down?" 

I think that's the biggest obstacle: complacency and lack of spirit. Time to take off the Underoos, and maybe go commando. ;-) See? We all have something to complain about. The difference is that I'm going to practice this Buddhism to do something about it". -- Gwt SGI leader