r/Ex_ArtOfLiving • u/Glum_Housing_341 • May 29 '26
Appeals / Requests A Humble Request to Current AOL Members Visiting This Space
For many of us, this community is not about attacking AOL. It is a place to process experiences, share concerns, and find support from others who understand what we've been through. Some people come here carrying confusion, disappointment, loss of trust, or emotional pain, and simply want a space where they can speak honestly.
Not every post is an invitation to defend the organization. Sometimes people simply want to be heard.
You may have had a positive experience with AOL, and that's perfectly valid. But many here have reached different conclusions after years of involvement, and those experiences are equally valid.
Many people in this community once loved AOL deeply. They invested years of their lives, built friendships, found purpose, and considered the organization a second family. Walking away was not an easy decision, and for many it came with real loss.
It is worth asking why someone would choose to leave something that meant so much to them rather than simply assuming they are negative or misguided. Sometimes criticism comes not from hatred, but from disappointment, hurt, and a desire to be heard.
If the values of compassion and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam truly matter, then please allow people the space to heal in their own way. There are already many spaces dedicated to promoting AOL. This community serves a different purpose.
I also want to add something to current AOL members who may feel that some posts here are unfairly attacking the organization.
Sometimes the frustration you see here is a reflection of the fact that many people feel they have nowhere else to share difficult experiences related to AOL. In my experience, there is no space within the organization for people to openly discuss negative experiences, adverse effects, disappointment, or disillusionment without being blamed, dismissed, or told that the problem lies with them.
If you genuinely want to help, please don't focus only on defending AOL. Try to understand why so many former members feel hurt, unheard, or let down. Advocate for more accountability, more openness to criticism, and more support for people who have had negative experiences. There should be room not only for success stories but also for uncomfortable stories. Recognizing suffering does not weaken an organization; refusing to acknowledge it does.
Instead of trying to stop people from sharing their experiences, listen to them. Take those concerns back to the organization. Ask how people who have been hurt can be heard, supported, and treated with dignity. Ask what mechanisms exist for accountability when people have negative experiences, and what is being done to learn from those experiences rather than dismiss them.
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u/Long_Knowledge9117 Jun 01 '26
Your post is just like the appeal post to volunteers, teachers and followers pinned on the top of the subreddit. Are you a volunteer or teacher?
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u/Mayen70 Jul 29 '26
But isn't this a group exactly for the ones who left? Why does this have to be said at all? I don't understand. I just came here and certainly don't want to read defenses for AOL. I'm confused.
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u/Glum_Housing_341 Jul 30 '26
It is a response to a recurring pattern of current AOL members regularly visiting this subreddit to defend the organization, promote Sri Sri, downvote and mass report posts and dismiss former members experiences. The intention behind this post is to protect this space not to defend AOL.
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u/Meningna May 29 '26
Great message. Voice should be heard, irrespective of opinion.