I admire the sleek way
the 7 Habits Craze
did daze
Management Types in its day.
I read the 7 Habits book
and my manager Dad took
7 Habit Seminar
that I do think
didn't stink.
The Company gladly paid for the Seminar
to keep
the Managers in their pockets that are deep.
Any system that promotes Absolutes is suspect
and I initially didn't suspect
the 7 Habits to be an LDS tract
until that fact
was told to me by a University Lecturer
that was Lecturing
on the Hot New thing
called the 7 Habits
that's quite Habit
forming.
One of the most popular personal development training programs today is The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.1 Many church and religious organizations are using this program to train ministers and leaders. One of the reasons they find this program attractive is because it gives a prominent place to spirituality in personal growth. However, most of those who take this training are unaware of the specific religious beliefs that are behind many of Covey's principles.
Covey has stated these religious beliefs in an earlier book entitled The Divine Center. This book contains many of the same principles that are found in 7 Habits. Many of the anecdotes and illustrations in the two books are also similar. An analysis of The Divine Center reveals that Covey's religious beliefs are Mormon.
Covey has discovered how to communicate Mormon teachings to non-Mormons by simply changing his vocabulary
Covey explains in this book that that he has discovered how to communicate Mormon truths to non-Mormons by simply changing his vocabulary. He writes, "I have found in speaking to various non-LDS groups in different cultures that we can teach and testify of many gospel principles if we are careful in selecting words which carry our meaning but come from their experience and frame of mind." [Divine Center, p. 240.]
In The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey writes that he finds renewal in daily meditation on the scriptures. [7 Habits, p. 292.] In "the Gospel of John, the epistles of Paul and Peter, the Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants." [Divine Center," p. 298.]
He also writes, "Cultivate the habit of reading the scripture everyday -- perhaps just before retiring. It's better to go to sleep on Helaman or Moroni than on the latest TV talk show." [Divine Center, p. 197.]
7 Habits refers to "natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, as unchanging and unarguably 'there' as laws such as gravity are in the physical dimension." [7 Habits, p. 32.] In The Divine Center Covey identifies these "laws of nature" as the teachings of the LDS Church which "enable the individual personality to grow and develop until eventually he can become like his Father in Heaven." [Divine Center, p. 246.] For example, The Divine Center reveals that Covey derives his principle of being pro-active rather than reactive from Mormon scriptures. [Divine Center, p. 176; 7 Habits, pp. 70-77.]
Covey claims the true map is the LDS Church, and says evangelical Christianity is a false map
Those who have read Covey's 7 Habits are familiar with his use of the term "map" for a paradigm of life.[7 Habits, p. 29-35.] He writes, "The more closely our maps or paradigms are aligned with these principles or natural laws, the more accurate and functional they will be. Correct maps will infinitely impact our personal and interpersonal effectiveness far more than any amount of effort expanded on changing attitudes and behaviors." [7 Habits, p. 35.] In The Divine Center he identifies both correct and incorrect maps. Covey reveals that the true map is the LDS Church and that evangelical Christianity is a false map that limits the personal development of its followers. He writes:
Because of the incorrect map inherited through centuries of apostasy, the sectarian world does not understand the above concepts. The map so distorts the knowledge of who we really are, who our Father in Heaven really is, who Jesus Christ really is, and who the Holy Ghost really is, that it imposes enormous limitations on the software program of those who 'buy into it.' It also impels their minds to great accusation and criticism of those who are correctly programmed in these matters. They call the Latter-day Saint concept of an anthropomorphic God arrogant, presumptuous, and narcissistic. Their concepts drastically reduce man's ultimate potential. To them, the potential is not to become like God, not to have eternal life -- that is, to have the kind of life and character that God has, to become perfected as he is -- but instead to become his eternal robots, worshipping him in a saved condition throughout all eternity. This rules out the celestial family stewardship, the opportunity to become eternal co-inheritors of all that the Father has, and the eventual opportunity to become like the Father, a god, capable of eternal increase, of spiritual procreation.
The true map, on the other hand, tells us what Elder Lorenzo Snow summarized in his couplet:
'As man now is, God once was;
As God now is, man may become.'
- Source: [Divine Center, p. 81.]
Covey criticizes evangelical denominations for promoting "incorrect maps." Those who follow these false maps "are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men." [Divine Center, p. 16.] He writes, "No wonder Joseph Smith under inspiration identified the 'creeds of the fathers' as 'the very mainspring of all corruption;'" [Divine Center, p. 17.]
He also argues that the beliefs of traditional Christianity are "false maps ... in the form of beliefs or doctrines or creeds." [Divine Center, p. 15.] Covey refers to Mormon scripture (Joseph Smith -- History 1:19) to prove that the beliefs of evangelical churches are "an abomination in the sight of God." [Divine Center," p. 15.] (Note: Joseph Smith -- History 1:5 reveals that the three churches in question were Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist.)
Covey contends that the message of non-LDS churches is an inaccurate and distorted map.
Such a warped map gets just about everything wrong, including God, man, man's relationship to God, the role of Christ the Savior, the purpose and meaning of life. Naturally, it also produces a warped understanding of what the commandments are and what obedience is.
- Source: [Divine Center, p. 246.]
One of the things that Covey believes evangelical churches have gotten wrong is the doctrine of the Trinity which he calls an "apostate doctrine." He claims that the doctrine of the Trinity has "lead people to believe that we are a creation of God rather than his literal offspring." [Divine Center, p. 82.]
Theologically, the Mormon Church (LDS) is considered a cult of Christianity
Covey believes that the maps (paradigms) used by most people are false because of apostasy. He claims that this situation continued until the nineteenth century when Joseph Smith restored the true map. According to Covey, the true map places no limitations on the development of human capacities and potentials. [Divine Center, pp. 14-17.] Covey claims that with the help of the LDS Church's "gospel ordinances people can develop "godlike powers and capacities." [Divine Center, pp. 208-9.]
Covey teaches about "the upward spiral" in 7 Habits. [7 Habits, pp. 304-06.] He writes, "Renewal is the principle -- and the process -- that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement." [7 Habits, p. 304.] The Divine Center reveals that he is referring to the Mormon principle of "eternal progression." [Divine Center, pp. 180, 207, 213.] He claims that this "constantly expanding upward-spiraling movement in the development of the human soul... constitutes the road to perfection." [Divine Center, p. 207.]
Covey's belief that people have a limitless potential is derived from the Mormon doctrine that people are gods in embryo
Covey explains that "we eventually can become literally like Heavenly Father; we can become perfect, just as he and our elder brother, Jesus Christ, are perfect." [Divine Center, p. 77.] Covey teaches that we have within us "the eternal seed of godhood." [Divine Center, p. 206.] Following the correct map found in the LDS Church "liberates man" and "releases his divine potentialities." [Divine Center, p. 246.] Covey's belief that people have a limitless potential is derived from the Mormon doctrine that people are gods in embryo. [Divine Center, p. 164-66.] He writes, "Since we truly are sons and daughters of God the Eternal Father, we possess in embryo his nature and potential." [Divine Center, p. 166.]
Covey contends that since we are "literally the Father's children" that we "can literally become perfect even as he is perfect." [Divine Center, p. 81.] He also claims, "Jesus was the first begotten in the spirit and the Only begotten in the flesh. He shows each of us that we can do it because he did it." [Divine Center, p. 78.] According to Covey, we should not get discouraged about the possibility of becoming perfect like God. This is because we are of the same species as Jesus and God the Eternal Father. [Divine Center, p. 79.]
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/4554-cl ... y-7-habits
The Seven Habits of Highly Efficient Cult Leaders
Grooming
Your personal appearance must be polished, at least at first. Only later can you degenerate into bad hygiene. But be careful! If you “go natural” too early in the cult’s development, you will just be smelly, and will destroy your cult in its infancy.
Strength
It is wise to be physically stronger than everyone else in your cult. This gives you the appearance of vitality and makes others look up to you. It’s also helpful in case of an emergency, e.g., if you are unmasked as a fraud and must run for your life or fight a gang of outraged cult members. To help preserve your relative strength, keep your followers on a low protein diet. Very low. This will affect both their muscle mass and brain function.
Delegation
Delegate all undesirable tasks. Learn to extract the most work from your disciples with the least effort. Find reliable people to manage daily operations.
Time Management
Do not waste time on trivial personages within the cult, especially time burglars, who ask annoying questions about the holes in your philosophy. Buy The Cult Leader’s Day Planner™ to help schedule only the most crucial meetings (such as with your first disciple and your accountant).
Humility
You must maintain the illusion that you are the meekest, kindest, godliest person in your flock, despite the fact you drive the most expensive car—bought with their money. Some cult members may well be cleaning up your very excrement for you as well. Do not let that trouble you! You deserve it!
Fellowship
Create a sense of fellowship by scheduling small treats as if they are a big deal. Few things can create a sense of community more than gelatin desserts, which are always comforting. Stock up on crackers as well.
Mind Control
Make your followers sleep to the piped-in sounds of your own television infomercials. Controlling your followers’ thoughts while they sleep is an important tool in maintaining your position.
http://www.thesatirist.com/satires/Psyc ... aders.html
the idea that with a positive attitude and enough determination, you can achieve anything is just simply not true, nor is it helpful. This message, however, is more than an inaccurate cliché. It is a dangerous mantra to adopt, for it puts people on a path to inevitable frustration.
It does this by robbing the individual of the possibility of having any organic and genuine sense of positive feeling. Instead, it becomes your job, a burden: always be positive. You maintain positivity in the hopes that success will follow. That is, underlying this mind-set is a real feeling of hope; hope that it will “work”, that this positivity will pay off. And as this hope builds and the results don’t appear, it can become extremely difficult to know how to deal with failure.
...
Personal Development and Self Help offer a convenient, easy, and well-marketed answer to a very deep and genuine philosophical crisis human beings have been living through more or less since the Middle Ages; one that has grown ever more pressing with time. It is really an existentialist crisis that concerns the fundamental question: What should we do with our lives?
The psychologist and social theorist, Erich Fromm – in the tradition of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Sartre – calls this crisis the “fear of freedom”. Fromm argues that the history of modern Europe and America is defined by its effort to gain freedom from the political, economic and spiritual shackles that traditionally bound humans. Since the Renaissance, one tie after another was severed – humans had overthrown the domination of the Church and the domination of the absolutist monarchy state. In their place, the principles of economic liberalism, political democracy, and religious autonomy gave expression to the longing for freedom and brought mankind closer to its realization. This kind of abolition of external domination seemed to be a great victory for personal freedom.
However, while such freedoms resulted in the possibility for more individual expression and autonomy, they also broke the ties that gave people security and meaning; ties that gave people feelings of belonging and of being rooted somewhere: the membership of a primitive man with his clan, the medieval man with his church and so on. So while humanity, at least in Europe and America, has become freer in this sense, this freedom brings with it a new challenge: to orient and root oneself in the world, to find security and meaning without external authority. We now have choice: the choice to live life in whatever way we like. This is a daunting task we all face. And when we realize the size of the universe and of the strength of the forces that shape our world – the unpredictable markets, constant war, environmental disasters – it can lead to feelings of powerlessness, isolation and anxiety. Not to mention the feelings of isolation created by modern consumerism and advertising that, as Banksy put it, makes us feel “that all the fun is happening somewhere else.”
It is this sense of anxiety that Self-help and Personal Development movements exploit. In the face of such powerlessness and insignificance, they sell omnipotence and domination; complete control of your destiny. And if you disagree, or demand more than “7 steps to success” you are ostracised as a negative critic. Self help is popular because it manipulates this fear of freedom and does so with brightly coloured, user friendly blogs and a cheery enthusiastic and attractive smile. But rather than hoping to find answers in Personal Development, it should only be a starting place.
...
to conclude that a positive attitude can solve all problems is naive and denies the possibility to enact change, when necessary, on your circumstances. Aristotle said:
“Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy; so that to do these things properly is rare, praiseworthy and noble”.
The same goes for having a positive attitude, or any state of mind, for that matter: the skill in life is to know when and where they are appropriate.
http://universitytimes.ie/?p=9487
