James Arthur Ray Breaks Silence on Sweat Lodge Deaths and Sedona Tragedy
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I was disappointed by James Ray’s responses. After waiting so long to hear from the man himself, I think we deserved more. But then again, he is limited by what his lawyers will let him say. I hope the truth comes out soon. I feel for the families of the victims.
@ James Greenfield:
I agree James, I didn’t really expect more, given the ongoing investigation, but I guess I wanted James Ray to take more ownership of the events of that day. We’ll see.
I felt that he was very vague with most of his answers. It’s hard to reconcile his version of the story (that he was present and helping everyone until he got called away by the detectives) with the version told by many of the people there (that he vanished and was nowhere to be found in all the chaos).
I’ve lost a great deal of respect for James Ray during this whole situation. I still haven’t heard anything about him making financial amends with any of the people who were there, as well as the families of those who passed. At the very LEAST, every single one of those people deserve a full refund.
@ Shela Skarp:
He was very vague and didn’t really say anything new. Although many people like yourself have lost faith in him, he does have his supporters who believe that he will survive this scandal with his business intact.
And I did read one early report that said he mailed a check to one of the victims’ families, but no, I haven’t heard anything else along those lines.
His version is definitely different than those of the attendees and staffers.
This Subject has so many issues to address that it makes choosing a topic somewhat difficult.
With that.. I will say that his “Setting the Record Straight” page seems to me – to be a page devoted to his self defense strategy and an attempt to regain some of the dignity he lost after this tragic event.
He Made a statement about a comprehensive release form as if this waiver should free him from any neglect on his part.
He made a statement that no one “physically” (keyword) prevented people from leaving. However… failed to acknowledge the attendees mindsets – and then altered state of mind once dehydrated, sweating and receiving an inadequate amount of oxygen.
I think what bothered me the most was the fact that he blamed others for the construction of the sweat lodge. OMG — it was wrapped in plastic. Even if he didn’t construct it – it was his obligation to make sure it was constructed properly.
It was his obligations to make sure the attendees were kept safe – that they were not pushed to the point of risking their health.
I find it highly unlikely that a real Native American who actually knew what he was doing constructed the sweat Lodge and/or told them what material to use!
PLASTIC – I mean Come on!!!!!!!!!!
Our Parents taught us when we were young not put a plastic bag on our heads because we would suffocate!
Okay… at least mine did
Anyway… this is just my humble opinion =)
@ DoriMarie:
My parents taught me that too! I agree, this issue is complex and each of us view it in a different context depending upon what ‘responsibility’ means to us. For some, its an easy call – he should step up and accept responsibility for what happened. For others, he is being persecuted for events beyond his control.
I fall somewhere in the middle. I admit, at first I couldn’t understand why a man of his integrity and standing didn’t just own up. I think he wants to. But I also think he is torn by what will happen in the legal system if he admits any wrongdoing. Even if he is found innocent of any criminal charges, he could still lose everything in civil cases.
I also see another side of this tragedy, and that is the people who didn’t exercise their own personal responsibility and get out when they needed to. Listen, people get injured and die all the time while pushing themselves to extremes or testing their limits. They choose to do so.
So I think the questions about the legalities and the sweat lodge construction are secondary to the unanswerable question: Did the three souls who perished do so because they were pushing themselves intentionally, or had they given up control and allowed themselves to be pushed farther than they intended? If they gave up control, who is to blame for the results, themselves for giving up control? or the person they gave control to? Or perhaps each had a role in it?
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