Is “Art of Living” a scam?
I have been to the art of living's happiness progrm a year ago. Let me tell you this, the day I attended the first class, I was extremely impressed on how the teachers were so smiling and “wise”. I was in a very bad place then and I was desperately seeking for help. So when I came across these people, it felt like magic. (I even wrote a article for them on how amazing they were, if only I knew)Even after I finished the happiness course I continued to stay in touch with the teachers and volunteered for one of their flash mobs. Where I went around in the park asking people to join this organisation as it would make all their sorrows disappear. (My sorrows didn't. But I refused to believe that the organisation was fake because I was hell bent on finding someone to cling onto and a place to fit in.)That day, as I was walking around in the park I started to feel weird. The fact that I knew I was lying to people and yet went around telling people that the course was magic! There were a lot of volunteers too. The day passed and I went back home feeling bad and ashamed.But my last straw was when I recently talked to my teacher. I receive magazines every month or so from the organization and I read an article where I found a paragraph that claimed people who are very comfortable being alone are egoistic. So I messaged the teacher with a screenshot asking the teacher to clarify my confusion on this statement. Do you know what the teacher said?“Stay alone and be happy, it can happen in advanced course (another one of their “magical” courses) come and do.”That's it. No discussion. Nothing. I sent the teacher a huge paragraph on this topic and that was the reply I got. It seems like the teachers there are hell bent on getting people to join the courses than to actually help them!I might be biased by my experiences but nonetheless those are my experiences. Ever since then, I stopped having any kind of faith in the art of living organisation. I say, go experience it yourself and then come to a conclusion. But according to me, its fake.