State Of The Community

So yesterday I was graced with the presence of none other than the dynamic duo of fastseduction.com, Formhandle and TokyoPUA.  They’re in LA visiting and I took them around town and hung out with them.  I think the last time I had seen Formhandle was the 2004 PUA Summit at Project Hollywood, and this was the first time meeting TokyoPUA face to face.

Anyway, over lunch we had a lot of conversations about the "state of the community."  These guys basically get to see all the "up-and-comers" in the PUA world thanks to their involvement in the hub of the community, and I’m in somewhat of a similar position because of this blog.

Anyway, what we shared with each other wasn’t good.

Back in the "heyday" of the community (at least as the three of us saw it), we had a lot of original thinkers posting some great stuff.  You had people like Mystery, Style, Toecutter, Swinggcat, Juggler, Ross Jeffries, Tyler Durden, and a whole slew of others posting ideas, theories, field reports, and tons of other things – all of which were interesting to read.

The big problem now is that there seems to be a void because these people have stopped sharing ideas and posting to the community portals.  They’ve withdrawn.  I don’t think its because they’re all commercial and don’t want to post anymore, I think some of them are just busy living their lives and others have just lost interest in the community.

Which leaves the newbies…

And what I mean by newbies are the "Post-Game"-ers who’ve migrated to the seduction community thanks to Neil’s book.

Now, I’m all for Youngblood.  I think we need new people coming in with new ideas and techniques and all that jazz.  So I welcome everyone who’s coming in trying to be a "guru."

But I think most of them are going about it the wrong way.

I get emails all the time asking me to link to a new blog, a new site, to post an article or a video or whatever because someone read the game and wants to make money teaching a workshop.  But so much of what I see is just a rehashing of a watered-down version of Mystery Method.

I do think it’s important to encourage people to foster new ideas and succeed – even if they do have commercial interest in the outcome.  In the end, it’s really a benefit to everyone.

I think most of the post-Game "gurus" need to learn that these skills are first and foremost about helping men lead better lives, rather than just "getting laid" or "making money."

So many men quietly suffer from lonliness, self-doubt, insecurity, and fear.  They think getting laid will help them, make them feel better, but even if they do get laid, the feelings of happiness they’re searching for doesn’t last.

I look at Pick-Up as a form of self improvement, because before you can help othters, you always have to help yourself.  It isn’t selfish, it’s just a fact.  People who teach others will not only teach them their strengths, they will teach their weaknesses as well.  So a lot of these young guys still don’t have enough experience with life, love, and overcoming their inner demons to be worth listening to.  Having a new "DHV" or "Opening Line" is cool, but in the end, that stuff doesn’t really help anyone.  It’s the experience and understanding that comes with self-growth that helps people.

If someone wants to become the next "Mystery" or "Style," then they have to understand what these guys did that made them WORTH paying for.

Mystery overcame his fear of meeting women, and spent years helping others do it for free online before he began teaching his workshops.

Style spent years being an unpaid guest instructor for Mystery.  He’d post some of the best shit you’ve ever read here and on other forums for free, because we was working through stuff and wanted others to give him feedback and help him understand what he needed to fix about himself.

This is the real crux of the issue to me.  Because for these guys – improving themselves came first, helping others came second, and then the money followed.

I think that’s a lesson everyone can benefit from.

So here is my challenge to all the "up and comers" out there.  Can you grow as both a teacher and a student?  Can you innovate and use 100% original material?  Can you focus on helping others before you run off and try to start a business doing it?

I look forward to seeing if there’s any new blood out there that can actually accomplish this.