Open letter to ASI (Association for Spiritual Integrity) and BATGAP (Buddha at the Gas Pump)
Abuse of power by Rick Archer?
Sometimes one feels like a note of a lost song in a sea of din and discord. And yet one's very vibration can resonate with another or lead one to a complimenting note to find a greater harmony. It is in this spirit that I share my voice.
As a collective we have experienced various degrees of hardship, trauma, isolation, hopelessness, depression, disharmony, suspicion, fear and confusion over the last few years. I do not wish to add to this but, in exposing potential abuse, there can be pain but thankfully also the opportunity for healing.
What I share is not on a scale with some of the horrendous abuses of power over the course of the Covid period but it is a part of it. I know, there is that word - Covid, did it make you wince with ‘no more?’ But there is more for all of us to see if we hope to learn from it and make it whole.
ASI is an association that I initially had great hopes for but which I now see is prone to blindspots of Integrity. This is understandable as the ASI Board is made up of humans and we humans can often be blinkered or sometimes even self-blinkered by willful blindness.
ASI was founded by Craig Holliday, Jac O’Keeffe and Rick Archer in 2018 .On their website they say, “The ASI arose out of a deep need to address the numerous scandals and confusion involving spiritual teachers, their students and communities, over the years. The ASI aims to deepen the conversation and become an evolving force in education so that there is greater integrity and professionalism within the modern spiritual landscape.”
I am all for integrity and especially so for governing bodies. This is why I would like to draw attention to the continuing questionable behaviour of Rick Archer which is sanctioned by ASI. Many of you may know that Rick hosts a show called Buddha at the Gas Pump. During Covid, Rick began to quietly de-platform people for speaking or sharing information that was not the ‘mainstream narrative.’ Kind of like the old communist way of ‘disappearing people’ who spoke up: a tech way of silencing people that can have huge repercussions for their reach, credibility, health and livelihood.
No doubt Rick felt justified in such actions and it was common practice in the height of the Covid fear frenzy. Thankfully we are all gaining more accurate information. Science is not something that is settled but evolves through honest open inquiry, not by shutting down opposing views or questioning voices. I know, I know, most people believed it was an emergency and we needed to save lives. But can we hear each other out now?
In 2021 it was brought to the attention of ASI and ASI members that Rick had been de-platforming teachers regarding Covid views. ASI informed all their members by newsletter in August 2021 that
“Rick has every right to remove from his platform anyone he feels might be doing harm.”
So ASI affirmed Rick’s ‘right’ to de-platform people, sending a clear message to their members, many of whom have been interviewed by Rick or who would like to be interviewed by Rick. However ASI did not clarify if this was a ‘legal right’ or a ‘moral/ethical right’. I am not so sure that silencing those with a different view is in any way an example of integrity. It is also interesting to note that they say “anyone he feels might,’ so just a feeling is enough, no proof or explanation - vanished.
ASI did not seek feedback from their members as to the integrity of such actions, they just wanted to put it to bed, nothing to see here folks. Nor was ASI interested in finding out how many teachers Rick had de-platformed, just sanctioning his behavior. It can be very hard for an association to investigate or honestly inquire into the actions or behavior of one of their founders, and especially so if they are friends with them as is the case with Rick and most of the ASI Board.
Following this, ASI held a live interactive online webinar on ‘Critical Thinking & the Spiritual Importance of Discernment’ which was a not so subtle attempt to nudge/steer their members to a particular view. Again, I am all for discernment and critical thinking skills, they are very important to develop but discernment requires one to be able to take in information from many viewpoints and come to your own conclusion, not to silence anything you feel might be harmful. In this video Rick got to introduce his ‘chosen’ scientist Dr. Wilson who is an enthusiastic debunker, just to help inform/nudge ASI members in line, for their own good. Rick has in the past used Dr. Wilson to both coerce a spiritual teacher into line and judge them according to Dr. Wilson’s criteria, using him as the gold standard, if you don’t meet it you’re out. Of course there are many eminent scientists who have different opinions, yet the whole debunking with half truths and selective data continues.
So ASI affirmed Rick’s right to de-platform and also brought his star scientist as a guest. What kind of message does this send to ASI members? Well one could say, ‘watch what way you think, don't share anything Rick feels is harmful and make sure it agrees with Dr. Wilson.’
There are many types of intelligence. Some people can feel it is not right to demonize others or force them into something they do not want. Other people have a bodily or kinesthetic intelligence that lets them know when something is not good for them. Then there is the intelligence of consciousness itself or intuitive knowing or the wisdom of the soul. All of these are valid. Scientific intelligence is a small part of rational intelligence but there is also ethics and morals. This is where ASI failed to inquire into Rick’s actions.
What integrity is there in silencing people who hold a different view or way? Rick may have his own code of ethics but it is in the application and interpretation of a code that shadow/ego can play out. He has used his own code to coerce and silence people all under the mask of protecting people from ‘unclean’ teachers.
De-platforming a teacher affects them, their family and students. In the past I heard that Rick de-platformed teachers, normally for sexual or financial misconduct, cult control etc. So now Rick has broadened this out to de-platforming those who share information with students. So if one gets de-platformed now, one is bracketed with these previous offenders, not a very nice brush to be tarred with.
This can have a huge effect on a teacher's standing and ability to earn. It can also upset the delicate balance and trust between teacher and student. Rick’s show is a nice stepping stone for people to get to know a teacher and see what they are about but all the work that goes in - before and after - is not Rick’s, it is down to the teacher and whatever help they receive. To have Rick come in, perhaps years later, and undercut a teacher for not believing what he believes is extremely worrying.
Rick has good intentions but he may be not able to see how his political leanings are affecting his call on this. So many people were caught up in the movement of ‘just do what you're told as it is an emergency.’ Being caught in sympathetic activation leads one to very black and white reactions, the fight or flight pattern colors the world into good guys and bad guys. This polarization is at a dangerous level.
Rick also has science on a very high pedestal, but there is also compassion, tolerance, openness, the ability to hear and let others have another view point. Science should not be used to amputate what you do not agree with. I am no luddite, I very much appreciate science and technology and pharmacology when used correctly and safely. Rick believes he knows what science is right and that he can eliminate those that do not agree. Yet over the last year so much has come to light, much of the science that was held as fact has gradually been shown not to be so true.
What inspired me to write this piece was an article by Charles Eisenstein, Covid Amnesty, which really highlighted to me the possible steps we need to consider to make amends and to come together to heal the hurt and polarization that is still at play.
I wonder Rick
Have you amended your views with all the new information available?
Are you the sole possessor of truth?
How many teachers did you de-platform for not holding the same scientific view as you?
How many teachers have you directly or indirectly threatened with de-platforming?
Have you reinstated teachers now that the truth is coming out?
Have you apologized publicly for your authoritarian behavior?
And I would ask ASI…..
Will ASI re-consider supporting Rick/BATGAP for his continued silencing of teachers who ask alternative questions or suggest alternative information?
Will ASI seek clarification as to Rick’s rules?
Will ASI ask their members if they feel safe to talk about Covid? Especially the teachers who are on BATGAP or hope to be.
Will ASI seek outside help to investigate their sanctioning of Rick?
How many complaints have been made against Rick and who has attended to them?
If Rick is continuing with these actions can he continue to be a member of ASI?
What do I hope to gain from this?
Well it's a long shot but my aspiration is that we all can drop the game of ‘other as enemy.’ I am not immune from this ‘enemising’ but I am evolving as I hope ASI is and Rick is and you all are.
Science is a fantastic part of our human potential and has a place at the table with economic, spiritual and ethical considerations in decision making processes. However it has shown itself to be corruptible, the term “a good servant but a bad master” sums up the new religion/cult of science.
Thank you for your attention to my questions, observations and opinions. I don’t know what is best for everyone but I do wish everyone the best. I hope it resonates with you and helps you to find our harmonious one song, sung with many voices.
I leave you with a recent video clip of Eckhart Tolle talking about crisis, the Covid response and how we are going through a period of collective insanity where people are doing very unconscious things. He explains that he sees it as a lack of wisdom rather than a lack of intelligence, a wisdom that arises from awareness itself. Different traditions call it by different names such as, the soul’s knowing, intuitive insight, inner guidance or transrational. I celebrate that he suggests that we can use these crisis points as a great opportunity to awaken, a ‘Great Reset’ out of our old egoic conditioning. A worthy aspiration that would help all as one.