Frequent commenter, dan, wrote this in the forum last week and I thought it was too good not to share. Dan is a former Marine and has a long history with Teen Mania including being both an intern and Project Director. His military experience coupled with his TM experience gives him valuable perspective on ESOAL:
I’ll be clear: personally, I see nothing wrong with voluntarily participating in emotionally or physically challenging activities, whether for fun (what kind of…?) or for personal/group growth. I’m an ultra-distance runner, and sometimes I’ll push my body to run for many hours on very little sleep, just for the challenge. I enjoy it, but I gain a lot from it too.
However, to be an ultra runner, a person like me has to be very in tune with his body, mind, and emotions. It takes a level of…gosh this will sound like I’m tooting my own horn. For the record, I am a fool among fools. You should be aware of this. Anyway, it takes a level of physical, mental, and emotional maturity to be able to run for 10, 20, or 30 hours. It’s transformative, however it’s also incredibly dangerous. Many ultra runners have spent years if not decades getting to the place where they can punish their bodies and minds in this way, and yet they still are incredibly cautious when it comes to extreme distances of 100 miles or more. Events of this size are incredibly expensive and include an army of volunteers to ensure that the participants have the safest possible environment. Race directors and pacers are typically other ultra runners who have experienced the exact same thing as the current participants. Strict qualification requirements ensure that every participant is at the very least prepared enough to start the race, and every runner is encouraged to drop out at the first sign of danger. The acronym “DNF”, which usually stands for “Did Not Finish” in racing, is often quoted as “Did Nothing Fatal”, to discourage a culture that might encourage someone to push themselves past fatal limits.
Contrast that with ESOAL. That event is physically and emotionally taxing in a very dangerous way, and yet there are no real physical or mental screening requirements that prevent ill-prepared students from participating. It’s often compared to the Navy SEAL’s BUD/S school, however did you know that the physical, mental and emotional standards to even qualify for that school are staggering? To even be accepted is considered an honor amongst military personnel, because it represents a level of physical and mental maturity that few posses. Then, a sailor must go through 7 – 15 weeks of intense physical and mental preparation before even getting to BUD/S. So before you get to train to be a SEAL, you have to learn how to train to be a SEAL.
Once a SEAL is in BUD/S, he is given every opportunity to ring out. Aside from the intense disappointment anyone would feel, SEAL candidates who unq (fail out) or DOR (quit) are still afforded incredible respect in the naval and military community at large. Nobody is made to feel like they are less…at all. Either it’s for you or it isn’t. Maybe you failed this time, but you can try again. The very core of the culture in the military helps these SEAL candidates, who were already emotionally mature to begin with, handle the disappointment and come out the other side stronger even if they never made it through a SEAL class.
Again, contrasted with TM. Sure, some have said “I felt no pressure.” and others have said “I rang out, and nobody made me feel less about myself.” However, these are exceptions, not the rule. The very culture of TM creates the thought that if you don’t volunteer, you just aren’t willing to challenge yourself. And if you ring out, well, maybe you stopped short of what you’re really capable of. You’re a loser, right? Maybe that pain is something serious, but I bet it isn’t. Press on! Pain is weakness leaving the body.
For the record, that phrase originated in the United States Marine Corps, where men and women are learning to live through excruciating pain. To be able to pull yourself and your buddy out of a firefight, despite being shot, or burned, or having an otherwise broken body. It was not intended to be used by a parachurch organization to help teenagers become super duper awesome Christians. RA is right. They throw phrases around like that without any thought for how it may be taken by a person who really just needs to listen to his or her body and STOP.
Furthermore, and I’ve said this before: military-style training has no place in civilian life. This isn’t elitist…it simply has no practical application. There is no practical or safe application to tearing someone down emotionally outside of a military context. It’s dangerous. The military has been doing it for millennia. They’ve refined it, and even THEY have problems with people leaving emotionally or physically hurt.
ESOAL is dangerous because Teen Mania is not qualified to conduct that type of training. It’s dangerous because the qualifications to participate in ESOAL (or the Honor Academy itself, for that matter) are not strict enough to screen out people who may not be emotionally or physically ready for it. It’s dangerous because despite my corpsman friend who I’m sure is extremely qualified and professional, is not enough in terms of medical personnel being on hand.
And it’s dangerous mostly because the culture of Teen Mania glorifies people who can do and enjoy doing stuff like ESOAL. People who make it through are made to feel super human, while people who never tried, failed, or quit, are made to feel subpar. This type of posturing has no place in the body of Christ, where we are told that the opposite are true. The weak, the humble, the small…they are heroes in God’s economy. Not super athletes full of testosterone. I may feel like a hotshot because I can run 50 miles at a pop, but guess what? That means little to nothing to God. He cares immensely more about how I treat other people. How I make them feel about themselves. If I’m failing at that, then I’m a loser.
17 comments:
Here, here! You nailed it.
September 13, 2010 8:50 AM
moriah said…
beautifully written.
September 13, 2010 9:01 AM
Josh ex-intern 00-01 said…
Dan, as usual, very well said!!
September 13, 2010 9:02 AM
Eric P. said…
Three cheers! Thank you so much for your great perspective.
September 13, 2010 9:11 AM
Mynda said…
Well written! My husband who was also a Marine finds the whole idea of ESOL pushing people spiritually in this type of manner is EXTREAMLY dangerous! As you said, the military has been doing this a lot longer and have trained and tuned those who do this type of administration of intense events.
September 13, 2010 9:23 AM
Julie said…
“because the culture of Teen Mania glorifies people who can do and enjoy doing stuff like ESOAL” that’s the big problem to me. We are not all physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of this type of activity. As Dan said, in the Navy it’s an honor just to be selected for SEALs training because so few people are capable of what is required. Throwing a bunch of teenagers from all backgrounds, physicalities, and mental states into this environment and adding the pressure that glory only comes to those who possess the strength to beat their body and finish is a recipe for disaster. It completely explains why ESOAL is one of the top TM issues that has wounded and physically injured people.
September 13, 2010 10:04 AM
Shiloh said…
I appreciate (agree with) Dan’s opinion on the blog. Thank you bro for being open with your beliefs.
September 13, 2010 1:22 PM
CarrieSaum said…
I really hope that the right people are directed to this post, read it, and take it to heart. Especially during this week.
Well said, my friend.
September 13, 2010 1:26 PM
Chuck said…
I did not partake in ESOAL and was NEVER made to feel subpar.
Many people on this site say that the environment of the Honor Academy belittles those who do not partake in events such as ESOAL, but that simply is not the case for everyone.
I have sympathy for those of you who were made to feel less of a person, but let it be known that not EVERYONE was made to feel that way.
Maybe I was just one of the blessed ones!
September 13, 2010 3:25 PM
layne said…
“…but let it be known that not EVERYONE was made to feel that way. Maybe I was just one of the blessed ones!”
That’s right, Chuck, you were one of the blessed ones, and all of the others who were made to feel subpar for not participating were not blessed. Ummm… wait, that’s not right, is it?
September 13, 2010 3:37 PM
Anonymous said…
well said! I had a friend who became a Navy Seal and he explained the whole process of selection and the idea that you can opt out at any time so not to harm yourself or others in the intense training. Also, as someone who never served in the military, but comes from a family full of War veterans, I am always disturbed by the “militant” version of faith that groups like TM and many other Christian groups allude to….I know way too many War veterans that suffer (some for almost 70 years) from their experiences of war. War is hell-and many struggle in civillian and family life.
September 13, 2010 11:45 PM
truthinlove said…
Definitly well written. I have a family member who made it through SEAL training and he finds the ESOAL process ridiculous. He noted that he was routinely reviewed to make sure he was mentally intact prior to and proceeding the training. I personally recall his rigorous exercise (not only physically but mentally & spiritually) which began months before SEALtraining and even before his acceptance to the Navy.
I don’t think the HA has the capabilities or follow through to monitor participants weekly it even bi-weekly on a one on one level.
To continue an event without the assurance that someone would not mishandled or that lines would he crossed is unacceptable and irresponsible.
If one person (which I understand there are many) in an ESOAL came out damaged mentally, emotionally, or spiritually why is that not enough to change or cancel it completely?
Is it not worth it to cancel it to save one more person from harm? Or are they justifying peoples pain with the puffing up of ones ego? (Something that I dont recall God advocating) Is it worth that ESOAL patch?
If TM doesn’t have the ability to review participants one on one before ESOAL, to provide a regiment of all forms of preparation, If they do not have the ability to provide a trained medic for each unit, or the ability to provide accurate follow-up, then more people will get hurt. TM can’t say we didn’t warn them when it happens. They will have fully known the possibilities and gone forward with it anyways.
September 14, 2010 12:50 AM
Anonymous said…
Not only that but to even get into the military you need to pass the physcological screening. I think most of the employees at TM would not pass that let alone expect a regular 18 year old pass.
September 14, 2010 8:17 AM
Nunquam Honorablus said…
Layne- I think what Chuck meant by “blessed” was “lucky”. But at the HA (at least my year), we’d eat eachother alive for saying the word and say “NO YOU’RE NOT LUCKY YOU’RE BLESSED. No such thing as luck”, etc.
I dunno, I could be wrong.
September 14, 2010 9:18 AM
Anonymous said…
I was told somewhat outright that I was a wimp and less committed for not participating. I had one person total tell me it was just find I didn’t participate. Doing all that is just plain stupid.
September 14, 2010 9:42 AM
Anonymous said…
Here is what an Emotional stretching retreat should be like, they should shout “you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck, You suck, you suck” Remember it is stretching EMOTIONALLY
September 14, 2010 9:44 AM
joyG said…
Thanks, Dan, for the background.
Here is my favorite part: “This type of posturing has no place in the body of Christ, where we are told that the opposite are true. The weak, the humble, the small…they are heroes in God’s economy. …(Extreme physical efforts-) That means little to nothing to God. He cares immensely more about how I treat other people. How I make them feel about themselves. If I’m failing at that, then I’m a loser.”
Your performance (physically, mentally, spiritually) does NOT EQUAL your position with God.
Ever.
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
whoops- that was Paul. 2 cor.11.30
September 14, 2010 12:27 PM
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