There used to be a time when the free world looked to authoritarian states like Russia and reprimanded them for large prison populations. The gulag was a symbol of oppression and a loss of human freedom. I find it strange we have surpassed the incarceration rates of these nations and even stranger that mass incarceration is seen as something to be proud of.
Wow. That article doesn't try to be objective and man do I not blame them. That is appalling. This is why I am so apathetic about politics, how can anyone even stand up to this. He was appointed to his position from a firm that defends wall st as an occupation, puts kids gloves on during the biggest defrauding of America in recent memory and then goes back to his old firm for pro bono work. The non-elected officials have no accountability.
I wanted to add that there are several forms/types of Vipassana and several different types of centers that conduct retreats. Many people get confused and think that there is only one type of Vipassana.
Take a look into The Insight Meditation Society located near Boston. They also have a large center near San Francisco, and various groups around the country. I think you may find the instruction less 'cultish'. Insight Meditation Society (IMS) uses a sliding scale to charge for its retreats and I have found them to be my favorite center for going on a retreat.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it is not necessary to do a ten day retreat. You can start with a 2-3 day and work up from there.
I am an American and have lived in Europe (Northern Europe) for over four years. I don’t fear awkward silences anymore either, but, what I do miss is an easy going relationship with conversation. It seems to me as if Europeans can be socially awkward and I am not sure if I will ever entirely warm up to the idea of “the culture of comfortable silence.” Perhaps a balance between insentient chattering and enforced silence would be nice. I believe conversation is an art, it is important, and it is part of what makes us human.
The inability of the answerer there to see the experiment as being (at least in part) about how the guards responded to the construct is just fascinating.
