"Well then," he continued, "solutions are needed. New ways of living must be devised, new institutions built within which people can organize their lives. The family is collapsing in this country, and that's the only instrument we've had for providing love and security and training in fundamental values. The schools don't do that; they're designed only to teach skills. They can't teach wisdom, good sense, decision making, even if they pretend otherwise. The churches can't--not in one hour per weekend. And in any case, the churches are dying. If the society can't transmit its values, people are going to tear each other apart. They're already beginning to."
Mark looked for a moment at the settlement laid out below us and tugged at his overall's strap. "This is almost too much for your first day; I'm only beginning to get a grasp of the Synanon idea myself. But I didn't want you to think of Synanon as just some sort of repair shop for dope fiends or other kinds of people with broken heads. Drug addition is only a symptom. The real disease is 'character disorder,' a condition of psychological and spiritual malnutrition. Synanon doesn't cure addiction. It heals character disorder by taking dope fiends into a morally and psychologically nourishing environment. That's the important work. A recovered dope fiend, or for that matter," he smiled, "a fulfilled graudate student is just a by-product."
From: Paradise, Incorporated: Synanon; A Personal Account by David U. Gerstel; 1982, Presidio Press
This conversation allegedly takes place in October, 1969; Synanon was begun in 1958.
