"I think the reason the big events - the parades and culture festivals and peace festivals and whatnot - arranged by first SGI-USA General Director George M. Williams worked was because they were FOR the SGI-USA members. These events cemented the participants' loyalty and devotion to SGI by providing them with annual events that were the kinds of peak experiences the participants could not get anywhere else. Going to Hawaii; building a floating island with a pyrotechnic volcano; performing in amphitheatres - SGI provided experiences that the membership simply couldn't get anywhere else. Sure, they could chant all stupid-like by themselves - where's the fun in that? WITH SGI, though, they could go on arranged trips to JAPAN! They could wear costumes and march in a marching band in a parade! They could perform...
Mr. Williams said it best:
Throughout the meeting Mr. Williams related President Ikeda’s guidance to establishing our lives in society. 1974 President Ikeda has named Year of Society. Our society (US society) has become the "3 No Society".
No ideology for people to trust.
No emotions. But people with Gohonzon really bring these feelings out of their lives.
No interest. But with us every year you travel, horseback rides, skate or flying across the world. Source
EVERY.
YEAR.
As soon as one event wrapped, the next event was announced. It was always something - and it was always something special.
When Ikeda came swanning in in 1990 and "changed our direction", he canned Mr. Williams and put an END to the special experiences. The SGI-USA membership would no longer have access to these peak experiences. Those were now history.
And SGI-USA's membership TANKED.
What does SGI-USA offer now? A lukewarm social group, an innocuous self-help group. NOTHING.
GREAT leadership, Scamsei, you dolt. You killed it" - Blanche Fromage
No comments:
Post a Comment