Originality in the Charedi world or dozen tomatoes

Schneur Zalman of NY comments to Baal Shem's revolution? post:

What you are writing about is not only true among Lubavitchers, it rings true in all sectors of Charedi world and even in some areas of the MO world. There is little originality left in the Charedi world. If you are an original person, you will be labeled a meshugener and will have issues in shidduchim, etc. I recall Reb Michel Abehsera describing the Orthodox world like a dozen tomatoes genetically produced to look the same color, size and shape.

I suspect that few Chabad young people have the psychological, or philosophical background to internalize any of the chassiduth they are taught beyond Hiskashruth, Frumkeit and Kabbolos Ol. After all they are finished studying in a formal manner before they turn 21. Lehavdil if our psychologists and philosophers ceased their studies at age 21 with no grad school and post doc work. Masters of the mind and spirit need to be trained and have shimush with other great spirits.

That is the case with most Shluchim. They can translate chassiduth into English, but a select few are able to understand the sugyo internally and actually think. And many of the so called Shluchim who do the Chabad House circuit are speaking not about Chassidic ideas but rather they advertise Chassidic ideas. What they talk about is either straight out of the self help genre in Pop Psychology or Religious (New Age) psychology of which there are hundreds of similar books in Christian book stores or they are trying to copy the success of the Kabbalah Centers and teach Kabbalah to control your life, etc. But few teach chassiduth.

One such guru can speak for hours without mentioning the word rabbi, Judaism, Mitzvoth, he has studied the New Age literature well and can use it with the help of some Chassidic catch words to have people who do not know anything, believe they are studying Chabad. He has also been able to adopt the Rebbe's sichoth to conform to the New Age ideas. The first principle of being a mentch: Nit zu naren zich alein, not to fool yourself!