The LIFE Program

Then came the dreaded LIFE Program, the lifeblood of the CIMBA Program.  I had heard of its horrors from the group that did it before me, but I decided to do it because I wanted to improve myself, and I didn't want to say I was one of the few who had not done it.

There was a seminar and dinner before our three days of terror were to begin.  We were told to memorize Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

     To laugh often and love much, 

     To win the respect of intellingent persons and the affection of children;

     To earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends;

     To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;

    To give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

     To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

     To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - 

     This is to have succeeded

The program took place in the DiMarchi Room in the main office building.  The instructors were stiff and cold and spoke militaristically a la Full Metal Jacket, but did not scream - they were talking at us.  They wore suits with name tags reading "Mr. / Ms. (Last name)," and were not allowed to smile or say anything except what the program demanded.

The first night was a challenge, but it wasn't so hard.  We were given seven minutes to write a three-minute speech about how to be a leader.