Author Topic: The impact of this forum (Read 5412 times)

cleveland · « **on:** August 14, 2008, 04:25:04 PM »

I haven't posted on this site in ages, and I have visited only sporadically. Seems like sometimes it's up, sometimes down, and moving to various host locations. I don't know the details.

I had kind of had a 'been there, done that' attitude towards the site. I am turning 50, I have two children, I'm busy, and I work (ironically) about 1/2 mile from the old Cleveland Seed, so I pass it frequently and feel - nothing.

However, I have seen some of the recent posts by people who have just discovered this site, and it reminds me how powerful it is to reconnect. To have the chance to relive old memories and grievances, grind an ax or two and even realize where my original ideas were mistaken. So amazing.

The Seed remains for me a pivotal, formative, powerful experience. I still haven't decided whether it was all good or bad, and the fact is, it was both. No matter what, those memories will live with me forever, and I am sure I will still have dreams in which the Seed plays a role.

So, thanks again to Ginger and Greg and whoever else is helping them maintain this forum, in spite of whether you agree with their views or not - they are letting us air our views here, and, you know what, the truth will out.

Take care and happy discovery for any new Seed Kids that find this site.

cleveland · « **Reply #1 on:** August 14, 2008, 04:38:36 PM »

By the way, I just realized today is my Seed birthday - August 15, 1978.

30 YEARS!

cleveland · « **Reply #2 on:** August 15, 2008, 03:15:44 PM »

Hey Greg, thanks for the message.

My brother is a busy guy these days, and in fact, we talk monthly, or so, but i will convey the message...

Are you enjoying being at dad at 50? Sometimes I feel guilt that i will be a decrepid old fart when my two girls, now 1 and 3, are adults...or maybe I will stay healthy well into later age. Who knows? Anyway, it's a blast, when it doesn't suck (lost sleep, freedom and downtime) but that is more than made up for in good stuff.

Yes, although I have mixed feelings about the Seed and understand the extremes of feelings on either side, I am cursed or blessed with empathy for both outlooks...good thing I am not in politics, what a flip-flopper!

Antigen · « **Reply #3 on:** August 15, 2008, 05:28:21 PM »

Hey there, Cleveland! Good to hear from you. Don't feel guilty about being an old dad. My dad was almost your age when I was born. What he lacked in young man's patience and energy he made up for in old man's wisdom and mellowing.

Tell your bro I said hi too.

grad1 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2008, 10:40:45 PM »

My 9 year old daughter had another kid ask her if I was her grandfather the other day. WOW. I think I am still young at 53. My mother was 41 when I went into the Seed. Hard to believe.

I know that a lot of people hated those songs at the Seed, but I sang some of them to my daughter at bedtime and in the AM. I remembered that Robert would get into it in 74, "You got to get up every morning with a smile on your face.." My attitude really sucked after being sleep deprived and hearing that song.

However, I still feel that I would be much more messed up if I hadn't gone to the Seed and did all those silly things.

I too beleive that this forum has had a great impact and we all can learn from it. I disagree with some of the perspectives presented here, but I think I listen more to alternative positions on this forum than I do in any other part of my life when others have a different perspective than mine.

In reading through some old posts, I saw how supportive people have been to those in trouble or going through a tough time. Maybe that is something we all learned back then.

"It was the best of times and it was the worst of times"

Anonymous · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2008, 11:13:55 AM »

Quote from: "grad1"

My 9 year old daughter had another kid ask her if I was her grandfather the other day. WOW. I think I am still young at 53. My mother was 41 when I went into the Seed. Hard to believe.

I know that a lot of people hated those songs at the Seed, but I sang some of them to my daughter at bedtime and in the AM. I remembered that Robert would get into it in 74, "You got to get up every morning with a smile on your face.." My attitude really sucked after being sleep deprived and hearing that song.

However, I still feel that I would be much more messed up if I hadn't gone to the Seed and did all those silly things.

I too beleive that this forum has had a great impact and we all can learn from it. I disagree with some of the perspectives presented here, but I think I listen more to alternative positions on this forum than I do in any other part of my life when others have a different perspective than mine.

In reading through some old posts, I saw how supportive people have been to those in trouble or going through a tough time. Maybe that is something we all learned back then.

"It was the best of times and it was the worst of times"

Wow. That's surprising. From my perspective, the only thing that The Seed taught was how to verbally eviscerate a human being.

GregFL · « **Reply #6 on:** August 20, 2008, 10:51:16 AM »

Well that and how to take an organization down the slippery slope into cultdom, and that you can't cure society's ills by "modifying" someone. Also, that sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. another one, "love" isn't a catch phrase and any organization that wants you to love the leader...run like hell. I could rattle these off all day!

Cleveland, being a 49 year old dad is awesome. Also, it caused me to get back in the gym and start worrying about staying young again. Some day we should all get together and have a cook out or some type of get together. That would be a hoot. I could just see the supporters and detractors of the seed all sitting around bullshitting and recalling memories. what a day that would be!

cleveland · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2008, 11:10:13 AM »

Good to hear all of these responses, yeah and nay.

As usual, I am in the middle!

As far as being an older dad, yeah, it's pretty awesome. Another Seed grad, who I contacted thru this forum, told me that she was sad that so many Seed kids didn't get the chance to be parents - especially those, like myself, who stuck around for a long time.

The other day my daughter touched my gray hair and said, "Daddy, you look like a Popa!" That's her word for grampa. Sigh...

Johnny G · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2008, 11:19:25 AM »

I am into the 50 yr old dad thing, too

I look around and see how late in the game I started, but it is a hoot! I get to be the old guy at the father daughter stuff.

30 years! and it is nothing like yesterday! It is just bits and pieces -

G

GregFL · « **Reply #9 on:** August 24, 2008, 12:08:15 PM »

My new reason for living a long life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA6Mm6BS9R0

Anonymous · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2008, 08:34:41 PM »

The impact is that this forum gets the truth across, however inadvertently.

I am curious, Cleveland: Do you think you were ever truly a drug addict?

Or do you think, that despite not being a drug addict, The Seed was a partly positive experience?

Anonymous · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2008, 04:23:59 PM »

Wow where have I been? Brainwashed I guess. I've only looked for seed references sporatically and spoke about it almost less, when i stumbled here. Great to at least hear about it, my whole family was there, me in Cleveland and Ft Lauderdale the rest in Florida, and we rarely discuss it at all though. When i was first booted from the FLA for wanting to go to college no less I thought the SEED was the biggest problem I had, maybe it was, now after years of AA and therapy it's a blip.
I'll keep my eyes open, cheers

Fornits
Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry