Guru Papers

[aron]

Originally Posted by Trapped

This will be an interesting shift to watch here over the next period of time. As far as the "speaking blendeds" I believe the pool is smaller as several of them have been afflicted in their physical health to the point where they cannot give long messages anymore, and the ones still well enough just speak more messages instead to compensate. I am only aware in recent times of one addition to the typical group of brothers who speak messages. I just can't imagine there are many clamoring to take on that role, but stranger things have happened.

Who will lead them on, indeed? What on earth will be the glue that holds them together?

I think it's some degree of the nature of being a Guru, or Deputy God as LC called it, that only one person in the room can exhibit charisma, and the rest must devote themselves to promoting the Guru. This particular brand probably was helped by being Asian in parent culture, in which absolute deference to the Maximum Leader had a built-in expectation.

But it brings another problem - what of the next generation? Once the Guru is gone, then the Bureaucrats take over, who manage the organisation. Their authority is in direct relation to former associations with greatness. I can expect that at some point, whether the LC expands or diminishes, there will be one or two old-timers who will stand at the dais and say, "I was there with Brother Lee", and their association will guarantee them an audience. But how big of an audience if they have no native charisma? Clearly Nee and Lee had it. Once they're gone only Bureaucrats are left. Not a particularly great draw. And then more time passes, and it's left to the Caretakers of the memory of the Bureaucrats of their Guru's Charisma. Even less compelling.

But nobody is allowed Charisma, because that would be "ambition", that would be "drawing others after oneself". Only the Guru could do that without suspicion, without the taint of ambition. I'll never forget the first meeting when Brother Lee passed: "The age of Spiritual Giants is over, it is now the age of Small Potatoes". It was too clear: only the Guru was allowed greatness.