Absolute power...

Editor:

The Da Free John story revealed in the past month or so is just one more example of the age­old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely. " Whatever Da Free John's original intentions may have been when he got into the "guru business" in 1972, his life since then has been a classic demonstration of the abuse of power and abuse of the trust of other people.

He has lived a life of hedonistic pleasure, drug abuse, and sexual impropriety while publicly advocating a life of discipline, meditation, and spirituality. Officials of Free John's group have only now admitted that for years many cult members, as well as the public, had not been told the truth about the life of Da Free John because they were not advanced enough spiritually. However, these people were definitely advanced enough spiritually to financially underwrite his tax­free life of luxury.

Through the means of deception, indoctrination, and manipulation Da Free John drew many hopeful idealists into a relationship with him that was founded on an uncommon degree of trust and sincerity. They were then led to believe that when he required their time and money, humiliated them, or abused them physically or sexually it was done as a form of "spiritual instruction" for their benefit.

He even dredged up a few mythologized accounts of other bizarre "gurus" from the past to piece together what he calls "The Crazy Wisdom Tradition" to justify his behavior. Perhaps the term "Crazy Wisdom" speaks for itself. In any case, does the mere fact that a tradition exists for various actions make them right?

We already have "traditions" for tyranny, war, racism, and the subjugation of women. Must we now add "Crazy Wisdom" to the list?

In response to former members and the media bringing to light previously unknown aspects of "Master" Da Free John's life, Free John has put forth a "cattle call" to his devotees to "advocate the Master." No one has been told think independently or to investigate and discover the truth. The same members who've been lied to for years have now been asked to give up even more money to pay for JDC's expensive law firm to file a $20 million lawsuit against people who can barely afford to hire a lawyer. They have been asked to rush en masse to criticize the press for doing what they lacked either the capacity or interest to do -- which is to communicate the sordid truth about the life of the "God­Man" they worship.

In the midst of this recent controversy, the one man we haven't heard from is Da Free John himself. He has refused to communicate with or be seen by either former devotees or members of the press. This is certainly unusual behavior for a man who has said he wants "all five billion of those slugs" (i.e. the world's population outside of his cult) who know nothing of him to find him out. If this is truly his intention, why is he hiding? Perhaps he does not want to accept ordinary human responsibility for the problems he has created in the lives of those who gave him their money, minds, souls and bodies for years.

Possibly after 13 years of complete isolation among people who believe his every utterance to be the word of God, he has become afraid to communicate with ordinary people who are non­believers. Or maybe it's because Free John believes himself to be above all criticism and accountability. After all, by his own estimation "the Guru is not a human being. The Guru is the Divine Lord in human form." Free John has also claimed that "If I did not come, the Earth would be destroyed." Is this not a presumptuous statement, coming from a man who can't straighten out his own problems with a few friends, much less those of an entire planet.

The megalomania of Free John might seem almost a harmless absurdity if it weren't for the fact that great atrocities have at times been committed by those who thought themselves to be more than human. Even in the absence of such a disaster, we have a situation here where the lives, minds, and money of many high­minded individuals are being devoured by Free John, when they could have been used in a manner to truly benefit society. And that waste, perhaps, is an atrocity in itself.