Proof reading this blog it strikes me as a bit of a mish-mash of topics, the best description I suppose is that it contains some news of recent external experts workshop, a book review of sorts and a mention of our 1st anniversary.
Yes, already the milestone 1st anniversary of the dojo has been and gone. It passed quietly on March 1st as there was work to be done. We held an external experts workshop, spent the evening in each others company learning and pursuing further understanding of our subject through the process of mutual inquiry.
Amendments/update in Blue
External Experts Workshop.
The latest external experts evening was held at the dojo on Monday March 1st and in many ways it was a fitting way to celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of the dojo of truth. …… A place of “the way” that is loyal, constant and steadfast to the qualities of being free from deceit, untruthfulness and pretense, strongly principled, and with genuine feelings towards expressing the truth of thing’s as they actually exist in the world.”
It was an evening of invaluable education, which I personally think epitomizes the reasons we hold such events. The aim is simply to ensure that Seishin students are getting the very best information, knowledge and “know how” available on a particularly relevant subject, and importantly, that they are getting it directly from those that are working/training as specialists in the field.
As the Seishin dojos’ main instructor I am very aware of my responsibilities towards ensuring balance and authenticity in any teaching. And, given my position, I know it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of giving personal answers to students’ questions, as equally it is dangerous ground for students to simply accept them, especially in subjects that do not fall within my field of expertise
JS, an armed response Police Officer spent the evening at the dojo delivering a series of mini lectures and exercises. The first part of the evening was spent getting to grips with self defence law, statutory, common and human rights law before moving on to define self defence, the legal use of force in defence of self, property, others and preventing crime, proportional response, citizens arrest, identifying what is reasonable force, exercising judgment, the arrest procedure and defending ones judgment. Also included in this first section JS relayed the role and objectives of the police & criminal prosecution service following an incident involving violence, what their options and obligations are and the subsequent potential outcomes for all involved.
There were lots of student questions and JS continually emphasized that exercising good judgment as to what constitutes reasonable force in a given situation is paramount and must, if deemed necessary, be fully justified before a court of law, where that judgment will be critically examined.
For the second part of the evening, JS explained the decision action cycle used in armed response situations. The group then tried to apply the model to the escalation decision vis-à-vis taking a confrontation situation into physical self-defence, especially in terms of taking pre-emptive action.
I wrote at length in my last blog about pre-emptive striking and justifying it as an action. First strike is indeed allowable in law, as Lord Griffiths in the case of Beckford v Queen 1988 (Self defence) said;
‘A man about to be attacked does not have to wait for his assailant to strike the first blow, or fire the first shot, circumstances may justify a pre-emptive strike’
But what came out very clearly from this workshop is that whilst it is indeed allowable in law, it is with the clear caveat…. that in taking such an action you must be able to fully justify your decision, in a court of law if need be.
The Police have an iterative conflict management model that takes officers through a decision action cycle with specific stages that cause them to consider/reflect on the information they are in possession of, their policies and powers, that they are exercising good judgment, and that they have considered all of the options, both legally and tactically. Admittedly it could all be happening quickly, but the process, for want of a better word, is designed to help officers in the heat of the moment protect themselves or members of society and yet ensure that they do so whilst upholding their responsibilities in terms of legal compliance.
A big thanks to JS for taking the time to share his obvious knowledge and expertise with us and for helping the members of Seishin dojo gain greater understanding of their responsibilities in terms of self defence actions and the law. All in all it was an enlightening evening, several Self Defence misconceptions were straightened out and he provided the sort of education that, quite frankly, any responsible martial artist should receive as a matter of course.
Herding The Moo
I was pointed recently in the direction of a book of the above title, written by a certain Mr Joe Smith which I suspect is not his real name! It’s the recounting of his experiences as a former member of a superior Martial Arts organisation known variously as the Chung Moo Quan, Chung Moo Do and of late as the Oom Yung Do.
This book, although deliberately written in a distinct style, is a fascinating yet stomach churning insight into the phenomenon of Cults in the Martial Arts. It’s a must read if you are wary of such things and provides significant details on how cult leaders gain control of students by activating their aspirations to achieve progression (i.e to reach the revered black belt grade) and then the continued use of a multitude of control techniques to keep them fixed on the goal whilst their pockets are dipped. Admittedly its $ instead of £, and the terminology is a little unfamiliar but the message is there, loud and clear.
Anyone involved in the Martial Arts should read this book. Instructors and students alike, then cross reference the underlying messages and apply them to their own situation…. if you recognise any of it…your alarm bells should be ringing !!
The list of mechanisms in use is very long but here’s a few that stand out.
The propagation of the unverifiable historical claims of the “school” , which are to be taken on trust to “prove” loyalty, the passing down of hearsay stories of the legendary abilities of the”Master” by lower grade instructors, constant trashing of any other Martial Arts whilst talking up the (untested) superiority of the style, how people are spoken to and must learn to speak back, what is said about people after they leave the school, sudden visits by the Master with grand entrances and exits, all the overacting and staged spontaneity, the flashing of gold and the flaunting of the trappings of wealth and ostentatiousness in order to test that students aren’t really “moved (that’s motivated) by money” but seeking higher spiritual goals, Late night film shows, the self appointed “Master” then “Grandmaster” titles and his opinionated diatribe on any and all subjects whenever an audience could be assembled, envelopes stuffed with cash, exhortations to build a great school, constant promises of further, ever deeper lessons and learning, constant harking on about the opportunities for advancement in the school and resulting yet never achieved life improvements for those showing the correct, expected or approved behaviours. Out right lies about high profile personalities (Elvis and Bruce lee in this one), limousines and chauffeurs, psychic and higher powers, remote sensing and presence, the constant pressure to attend courses, events and camps. In fact the list is endless so I wont go on any further….. but believe me … every single one of those is in the book!
There are a couple of further things about the book that I think are worth mentioning though.
Joe smith has a wonderful analogy for explaining how the cult master achieves what is to an outsider a seemingly ludicrous level of control over other human beings. How he can get them to do his bidding (dig ponds, build outbuildings, run errands and generally be at his beck and call day and night), constantly hand over significant sums of hard earned cash and then be so thankful for the honour of it all….(again all in the book!!)
pp81 Chapter - Birthday time
… It doesn’t happen all at once. It is a slow process, the boiled frog analogy. Put a frog in warm water and he’s happy. Increase the temperature slowly and he’ll stay in, trying continually to adapt. Turn up the heat too much, throw too much cult crap at him at once , he’ll hop out and leave and maybe tell other frogs not to go near the cult pot. So the smart effective cult leader, he slowly raises the temperature, waits until you adjust, then after the new norm has been established, further refines the cognitive dissonance so it doesn’t seem to bad. What once was uncomfortable is now tolerable and you reinforce your new beliefs [that everything is ok].
Clever hey? …. no not really! ….. more …. disgusting!
I must say I found the caption on the back of the book both humourous and rather disconcerting .. from memory it reads something like this:
internationally recognised (yet no international presence) and handed down for 1500 years … well since about 1975 anyway!!
reminds me of
globally recognised (a world governing body – with a few small clubs in england!) and handed down for 1000 years … well since about 1979 anyway!!
In the end the authorities caught up with the Chung Moo Quan, and its Master and several inner circle others were sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for conspiracy to defraud the IRS (the US taxman)….
The mind boggling thing is, even after all of this, the school still continues to operate and people still fall for it. Sure its changed its name and marketing … Nowadays there’s a new strap line on the Oom Yung Do flyers that are handed out on the streets of US towns by teams of students pushing the new agenda. Now apparently it’s all about how you feel and having the power!
Heres a selection of recent marketing strap lines
- Discover the Power of You
- Do Not Neglect Yourself
- Traditional Moo Doe Has Improved My Life
- Centuries Proven Methods to Reach Success in Life through Health and Inner Peace
- Gain Power, Confidence and Security to Change Your Reality.
mmm… you can change the name …. leopards and spots comes to mind… or is it tigers and stripes?
If you take a look at the testimonials on their official website (http://www NULL.oomyungdoe NULL.com/) its very revealing. You can see how even today’s students continue to believe they are studying a handed down 1500 year old mystical Asian art and how the conditioning process has worked to make them believe that it’s because of the teachings of their ‘Master” that they feel so good, that he has improved their lives and even miraculously healed ailments…. despite the documented proof of fabricated history & financial irregularity, convictions for fraud, numerous student accounts of abused lives, damaged families and friendships and the obvious complete and utter garbage about the master’s abilities (in this case his ability, amongst many amazing abilities, to leap off 11 story buildings and fly [or 8 stories or 32 - depending] ).
Heres the point, everyone reading this, including someone in a cult themselves, will be laughing at the idea that people could fall for such garbage, and they are probably even thinking to themselves “see…. thats proof that I’m not in a cult, I’m not being asked to believe any crap like that!”.
There is a simple explanation for this …. you and I can see its “garbage” because we are on the outside looking in …. we “know” people can’t fly ….. but the really important point is that everyone inside the Chung Moo Doe sees it very differently. This is because their ability to critically evaluate has been switched off regarding this matter! …. to the point that their Master is deemed special BECASUE he can fly …. and they have come to believe this for real, and will even go to great lengths to defend it!
Ironically, those inside the Chung Moo Doe (who themselves would of course deny being in a Cult) would be thinking the exact same things about the sort of garbage that someone else caught up in some (other!) Cult does believe!! 
get the picture?
So how does this all happen?
Well to start with, the storytelling is adjusted (in this case the 11 stories or 8 or 32) because it is dependent on the degree of indoctrination of the student, or more succinctly … how much bull* he will believe! In other words the closer to the centre, or the higher up in the hierarchy, the more of the unbelievable he will believe.
This is because of the existence of “special” (for that read - withheld) information about the Master and the school, which is always told in whispers or in confidence, and is reserved for those that are deemed to have shown the greatest loyalty behaviours and have earned the right to it. However, its existence is always made public knowledge ( in a sort of children’s playground “he knows something you don’t know” way) to create the aspiration in others to climb the hierarchy and gain access to the information. It doesn’t take much to work out how to do that either …. succinctly put “if i copy the behaviours of those that I know have got the information, then it stands to reason that I will get the information too!!
Climbing the cult hierarchy towards the information is achieved by showing loyalty (that means attending the right classes and courses, showing the willingness to trample on family commitments to attend them, adopting the correct behaviours, never challenging the doctrine, certainly never baulking at the money being asked for, showing that you understand that it’s you that needs to work harder to get it, only ever asking safe questions and therefore “being positive” or more precisely never demonstrating that you have questioning thoughts (which is deemed as “being negative”) - WTF ? thats such a big one I will be writing about it soon!).
Motivated by knowing there is information that is there to be had, you climb by this route of compliance….. but when you get there the information just doesn’t stand up …. and thats the thing, it no longer even matters that the information is ridiculous, because you have invested so much time and energy in climbing and achieving your position (plus you know from experience, because you have seen it done to others, that it can be taken away from you in an instant if you show the wrong attitude or behaviours etc not forgetting that you have also been conditioned to fear/dread the ramifications to your life if it does happen [i.e your mind demons will get you, your core will turn to the dark side, your life will be ruined, this is in addition to the knowledge that you'll also be shunned by your so called friends and slandered by them as a group etc] ) … basically all of this means that you can’t/won’t challenge the ridiculousness of the information when you are told it ….. and worse, that you will eventually come to reconcile the cognitive dissonance it creates in you in the only way you can, by rationalizing the information (Collins English def : To devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for (one’s behavior) : thus making it “true” so you are able to believe it!!…… and that my friends is how you boil a frog! …. it’s ‘Job Done’ as the saying goes …. the “cult” hooks are well and truly in!
Yep…says it all really…. and certainly shows the powers involved here.
Thing is people think that it could never happen to them (or even worse … it hasn’t happened)…!! and in doing so they miss the point …. that when you are embroiled…..just like that frog… you will adjust to what you are expected to believe and consequently you will eventually defend it …. and you will suck it all up (it might not be 32 storys but it will be some other crap!) …. why??? because thats how it works… and quite frankly the consequences of you not being true, correct and right about all this are now, for you, unthinkable!
Finally, and somewhat ironically, this dedication in the front of the book touched me.
To all former and current members in the cults of Chung Moo Quan, Chung Moo Doe and the more current version Oom Yung Doe, even if you don’t believe it is a cult. To the hundreds still trapped, we can only hope you find your way out.
and as he goes on to say
Hundreds of friends and colleagues were caught up in the mayhem that Kim (the Master) created. A dozen we knew fairly well and had spent years with in training became felons as a result of falling into Kim’s deception. They lost homes families, businesses respect for them selves and decades from their lives.
They are a decent lot generally. Like most they sought self improvement, the means to learn effective self defence and most importantly the willingness to raise themselves up, to earn a better life, to be around the right type of people. To believe in Chung Moo Doe and to blindly put faith in a fake martial arts master was the critical error we all made.
It started out reasonably innocent, like most who become soldiers for cult leaders. The eliteness, the hard work, the camaraderie, the common energy, the accomplishments of rank; these are the hooks But this organisation is sinister, it takes control of peoples lives until the only thing that matters is serving Kim (the Master).
Here’s the ISBN978-1-4120-8514-4 and the amazon.com link. Amazon.com Herding the Moo (http://www NULL.amazon NULL.com/gp/product/1412085144/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk)
enjoy the read… I did
Yours in truth
Murray Bruton
*But why Bull? well thats testament to the Narcissistic Personality Disorder of a cult leader who simply cannot stop himself – driven by a sad and twisted psychological need to always be bigger, better, more special, more important than anyone else – one could say he suffers from his constant need to point out, remind and have his superior-human-ness noticed by everyone: it could be anything, from daring exploits or famous friends to his amazingly superior humility or even his generosity and benevolence with the money he has taken from you under false pretences … Ha!
The simple fact is that being normal or ordinary just won’t do! His telling of each new story, privately, in whispers and never with any proof of course (no need for proof is there? after all this is between me and you and besides… you have earned this precisely because you have shown your loyalty and trust) all this results in his getting immediate gratification from the lucky listeners’ doey eyed looks of wonderment, their words of adoration and their expressions of gratitude for the special privilege of being a trusted confidante !!!!
The point is, the bigger the story (i.e the more ridiculous the bull) … the bigger the reaction in the listener …. and the bigger his resulting “fix” – this, by the way, is known as garnering narcissistic supply (http://samvak NULL.tripod NULL.com/faq76 NULL.html#narcissisticsupply) !). The upshot is that he gets the immediate attention from your reaction whilst you get to show an act of worship …. but also suffer the dissonance the “bull” creates …. until that is you resolve it in your head, just like a boiling frog!. At the same time he facilitates the trickle down effect to others by making it public knowledge that there is this special information, often getting you to tell relay the story in a staged moment of softness, an “I shouldn’t but, but oh go on then you can tell them!!” moment – in so doing he is reinforcing the availability of this special information to anyone else (i.e the next sucker!) prepared to show the correct behaviours (read - approved behaviours said to demonstrate loyalty).
Post Script
Heres some additional insight into the reality of life as a student in the Chung Moo Doe from the Freedom of Mind Organisation, it’s a subpage on Martial Arts Cult (http://www NULL.freedomofmind NULL.com/resourcecenter/groups/c/chung/)s with a very important further page on Cult formation and stability (http://linus NULL.socs NULL.uts NULL.edu NULL.au/~osborn/cults NULL.html).
I have also heard a couple of great lines recently, lines that I think are important enough to add/update to this blog.
Firstly whilst reading “Herding the Moo” a former student of mine wrote to me to say “ I’m herding the moo at the moment, Wow! some of the similarities are uncanny. The cult MA system … it almost reads like a business plan!!…. indeed it does, with the hierarchy and obedience already in place it doesn’t take much more for the cult to form, the power over others to be abused and the money to start rolling in!
Secondly Ian Howarth of the cult information centre (http://www NULL.cultinformation NULL.org NULL.uk/) in London said to me.
“Raising funds for the important work that the CIC carries out is extremely difficult! If it was hunger we were fighting we could take photographs of starving children or adults and people could see the issue straight away!! the thing is, if you took photos of the victims of cult activities, they would all be smiling and waving at the camera and telling you that this is the best thing since sliced bread!!!…. and thats the rub! The members of every cult have great difficulty understanding why anyone would want to be critical of the activities of their group …. because everything is just fine, if not perfect in a cult members subtly “altered” mind and besides they are not doing any harm … until, that is, they finally wake up and walk away … or they get thrown out of the group …. and then, and only then, is it possible for them to grasp the true sense of freedom that they have been denied, over what for some may amount to many years. Inevitably when this happens to them,they will, just like all the other ex members, become very angry about the abuse and Coercion (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Coercion) that they can then finally understand they had been subjected to.
It is for this very reason that organisations like the CIC exist, and the reason why ex members of certain specific cults are often so active in bringing the issues to light, raising awareness and seemingly being so critical of the activities of the group; because they know what’s in store for every single person when the time comes to their time to leave, and they are trying to help prevent them from experiencing the unpleasantness of coming to terms with the self-realization of what is basically abuse.
Murray Bruton
