From Merriam Webster’s dictionary:
1 : not dependent: as
a (1) : not subject to control by others : self-governing (2) :not affiliated with a larger controlling unit <an independentbookstore>
b (1) : not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent <an independent conclusion> (2) : not looking to others for one’s opinions or for guidance in conduct (3) : not bound by or committed to a political party
c (1) : not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood) <independent of her parents> (2) : being enough to free one from the necessity of working for a living <a person of independent means>
d : showing a desire for freedom <an independent manner>
I post this as food for thought for anyone clinging to remnants of Scientology cult think. I have observed a lot of noise stemming from what I consider remnant cult, group think perhaps instilled by the Radical Corporate church of Scientology. Noise such as, “hey, I relied on the guy because he’s an Indie, and he screwed me; just what kind of group is this?” Or, “the guy was a total squirrel, evaluated me back to the stone ages, and I thought he was an Indie.” Or, worse still, “he’s your friend on Facebook, so I trusted him with boatloads of incriminating information about myself.” Note: I don’t have a clue who 3/4 of my friends on Facebook are, I’ve accepted them on face value – as do the majority of Facebook users – in order to increase the channels of communication for my own messages.
I find such grousing to be sad. Sad, because it is the same kind of think prevalent in corporate Scientology that makes it a cult. “Hey, flow power to Richie cause he’s a patron diamontorious with fairy dust wings”; and many did and lost their retirement funds. “Of course I hired her, she’s on course every night”; and the 1.1 winds up going to bed with her husband. “COB said an F/N must have three swings and each swing has to have a little flourish at the end in order to qualify”; and the case is overrun below the ground.
I’ve got some heartbreaking news for those who want to leave one cult to join another, this here is the Independent movement. There are only two things you can be mildly sure that you hold in common with anybody calling him or herself an Independent Scientologists upon first encounter: a) the idea that the “church” of Scientology practices reverse Scientology, and b) notwithstanding the recognition of “a” the idea that he or she hasn’t foresaken his or her wins and continues to practice Scientology as he or she sees fit.
Now, those are not insignificant common denominators, but they are the only ones you can be reasonably sure exist upon introduction to someone calling him or herself an Independent Scientologist. Beyond that the friendships you make are your responsibility. The partnerships you develop are based on your own due diligence. The practices you engage in are your own responsibility.
Here is an analogy. You might consider yourself a Republican by political affiliation. Does that mean you unconditionally trust the other 100 million people in America who also consider themselves Republicans? No, it means you know only that you have one thing in common when you meet another person who considers him or herself a Republican; and only one thing. After communicating and socializing you may find that you have a great deal of other interests, opinions, and activities in common. You may go on to create great things together, maybe even something that forwards Republican notions. But if you find you are diametrically opposed on a number of issues, whether it is your views of what it means to be a Republican or how the gay neighbor down the street ought to be treated or how business ought to be conducted in the free enterprise system, you aren’t likely to partner up on anything significant. And if you do partner up in whatever endeavor, and you are disappointed, you aren’t going to go bitching to the Republican National Chairman to “handle” your new friend.
Back to Independent Scientologist reality. The matter is complicated by people who are adept at capitalizing on the group think card. Some people are really good at appealing to one’s own third dynamic sense of responsibility with the “you really strengthen the group by helping me get ahead” play. They have gotten by over the years on the sweat of others by blending into the “group”; they can actually make you feel responsible for their survival for they promote what they do for the “group”, while examination of their products finds few at best. Such people use the “group” as a crutch and a maze with which to mask their own lack of personal responsibility.
It is further complicated by OSA’s ongoing programs to infiltrate the Independent field with trolls and agents provocateur. Their mission orders are to use the alleged cred of agreements “a” and “b” above to embed themselves, then spread as much third party, rumor, and personal scandal as possible, and then ruthlesslessly exploit resultant dramas as “Independent Scientologist” group practice. Their overriding program running for two years calls for creating as much enturbulance as possible in the Independent field so that I, by name, am reduced to labeling who is good, trustworthy, and reliable and declaring who is not. The idea is to position me with their own cult leader Miscavige.
OSA is expert at creating an us vs them mentality in the minds of the not-quite-bright. They actually study Hubbard technical references on how the reactive mind is constructed and drill how to use that knowledge to instill and capitalize on reactive, group think. They understand that pack mentality can lead to mob insanity. Next thing you know you’ve got yourself a reactive, destructive cult. And thus most of OSA’s propaganda takes grains of truth OSA itself has nurtured and constructs elaborate, restimulative labels that characterize its perceived enemies as the type of destructive cult itself has become.
The remedy is simple. Learn and use Scientology to improve your ability to differentiate between people who can be relied upon and those who cannot. Learn and use your Science of Survival and PTS/SP tech. Sans some elected authority who labels people for the good of “everyone” (who can be and historically have been corrupted by motivations other than the good of “everyone”) the technology is nothing less than brilliant. (More on how society’s “experts” on the mind are beginning, fifty years after the fact, to recognize its wisdom in later posts). It is vital technology for optimum survival whether you are engaged in or affiliated with Scientology, Independent or otherwise, or not. Hubbard said of that technology and the ability to differentiate between the social personality and the anti-social personality:
Of all our technical skills, such differentiation ranks the highest since, failing, no other skill can continue, as the base on which it operates – civilization – will not be here to continue it…
…Unless we realize and apply the true characteristics of the two types of personality, we will continue to live in a quandary of who our enemies are and, in doing so, victimize our friends
All men have committed acts of violence or omission for which they could be censured. In all mankind there is not one single perfect human being.
But there are those who try to do right and those who specialize in wrong and upon these facts and characteristics you can know them.
— 27 Sept 1966
Moving On Up a Little Higher 