I recently had a very important life lesson validated courtesy of Ray Lewis.
Lewis is somewhat of an enigma. He was said to be the heart and soul of the Baltimore Ravens team that recently won the Super Bowl. Ray has played linebacker for the Ravens for 17 years. That is remarkable longevity given the constant, high velocity collisions that go with the position. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl (NFL all star game) thirteen times.
Ray was a sensation the minute he hit the league in 1996. By 2000 he was an established super star. Apparently, it went to his head. He hung around with an expensive, outlandish outlaw posse. He was convicted for obstruction of justice in a case involving two murders that occurred in a club he and his crew frequented in Atlanta. Ever since Lewis has carried the stigma of the ill-intentioned, ghetto-grown hoodlum who got away with it because of the wheelbarrows of money he made as a pro athlete.
A good friend I watched the super bowl with told me that he would root for the 49ers because he couldn’t stomach Ray Lewis’ act. That was ok with me since I’ve followed the Niners since shortly after birth, being a Bay Area native, and besides, who wanted to see a gang banger glorified.
Last night I happened to come across a documentary on Lewis on a cable station.
Had I seen it before the game, I might have bet on the Ravens if I were a gambling man. I think I would have been pulling for Ray in any event.
Lewis it seems had found religion back in 2000 when his life hit a nadir. He has chaired bible study meetings with his teammates ever since.
But, that isn’t the lesson Lewis re-enforced for me.
The documentary gathered six former defensive coordinators for the Ravens who had coached Lewis. Each of them, because of their success with the Ravens, were promoted to be head coaches of other teams. Each of them attributed their success to their pupil Lewis.
Mike Singletary, hall of fame linebacker with the Chicago Bears, almost didn’t take the defensive coordinator job in Baltimore. He too only knew of Ray what he had read in the press and heard on the grapevine – an arrogant, spoiled all pro who would be impossible to coach. When he met Lewis for the first time, he was shocked.
Mike Singletary
Lewis made Singletary promise him that he would teach him everything he knew about the linebacker position, how to be a good teammate, how to be a leader and how to be a better man. Singletary said Lewis set an example for every other player by continuously listening, asking questions, learning and applying what he learned.
All five of the other coaches who were promoted because of Ray had similar things to say about Ray.
What I believe the Ray Lewis story teaches is that if you really want to become the best you can be, you don’t hitch your wagon to one teacher and attempt to emulate him, worship, comply and obey and tune out the rest. Instead, you remain ever curious, ever reaching for new understandings and new heights. I believe the minute you agree to willfully ignore any other teacher but for a chosen one you have in effect made yourself a little more blind, a little more deaf, and ultimately a lot less bright, intelligent and capable.
Is there any reason this does not apply to philosophy, religion, psychotherapy and one’s search for greater spiritual heights?
Moving On Up a Little Higher 
Great observation and very good point!
I didn’t “like” this because I’m from Maryland. I’m not a football fanatic; I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl this year. I “like” it because any one of us can teach us something new aboutourselves and the world around us. Remaining open to changeand growth is key. I’ll have to check out the documentary. Thanks!
Is there any reason this does not apply to philosophy, religion, psychotherapy and one’s search for greater spiritual heights?
No.
I forget what it came from, but I had the thought yesterday that probably the only thing I regret in Scientology, or what I would consider my only real mistake was that I assigned responsibility for my own spiritual state and condition to another. This was on multiple dynamics. Every time I donated to the IAS or thought that the Bridge would bring about some state in myself that I had to be beholden to an organization for. I still have interest in walking that path, but in a free way.
Well observed, and well written.
What I have gleaned from your commentary, where it relates to Ray Lewis and your previous post regarding ‘the public image’ of Scientology is that ‘real Scientologists’ like the real Ray Lewis, need actually only practice what real Scientology was, and is, all about. Ignoring if you will the present (though passing) overall public image of it.
In the 1970’s when I first approached Scientology (it didn’t approach me, I was attracted to it) it was a blast. The Scientologists I knew were most assuredly and obviously full of life and joy and purpose and goodness. They knew, Scientology/auditing worked. It helped improve peoples lives. And that alone acted as a magnet for others, like myself.
What destroyed that nucleus of goodwill and passion were fringe elements in the form of ‘dictates on enemies’ and dictates on money.
Who originated them is not so important from my view, than setting them aside.
As for the name Scientology, I suspect if a few individuals recreated something along the lines of the old missions, providing a safe space for people to actually get some auditing, they could call it damn near anything, and still wildly succeed. Heck they could call it ‘Auditing-ology’ and still open a flood gate of public interest (based on results and word of mouth).
Restated: if one (and thus a group) could remove the guilding from the lily, the lily would do just fine (without all that extra weight) hung upon its pedals.
I agree 1000%.
Great truth has bee spoken. Be free and true to self.
No worship.
No valances.
No life continuum
No entities
Total Freedom and true to the postive goals on all dynamics.
BTW, Happy belated brithday Marty.
You residence on this Earth has helped many toward truth.
The Gunn
Well said Marty. I certainly have learned that lesson , but then I learned it a long time ago having been raised a Catholic and later becoming interested in politics. If a person didn’t learn it by that route they might be a hard case. 😀
I hear he’s vegan too, he’s a great player.
Yeah, you have to have something going for you to be the most respected player in the NFL, not just your own team but the entire league. Clearly Lewis remade himself after the tragedy in Atlanta. Almost as clearly, his announcing his retirement had the Ravens at a fever pitch emotionally throughout the playoffs. That said, the rest of the league better watch out for the 49ers for the next 10 years because Colin Kapernick is the real deal and had the ref not blown that 4th down call at the end of the game the outcome would have been different. Assuming Jim Harbaugh doesn’t suffer a blown brain gasket at some point, you can expect to see the Niners next year at the Meadowlands in SB 48.
Absolutely agree.
The NFL starts from Day one, mentoring these young nouveau rich about the circumstances they are in, and the crowds they could potentially attract. I think by and large they do a pretty good job with that, human nature(s) being what they are.I also know that the working environment is brutal, and the average length of an NFL career is , if a player makes an opening day roster, very close to six years. If you are a first-round draft choice, the average career is close to nine years.
So 17 years is quite a streak. You can’t maintain that without real cred with your teammates and coaches, and even the players on opposing teams. You must stay in tune with the times, as the NFL he started in is not the NFL he finished in. Accepting any ONE as “it” is just an abdication of responsibility…which is guaranteed to get you randomity, but perhaps not the randomity you desire.
Having never met Ray Lewis, I don’t know if I “like” him, but I do respect him as a player. And I would be more than willing to sit down with him and see what I could learn.
Random Tangential Comment: Someone once asked Art Tatum why he went to listen to other musicians who couldn’t hold a candle to him. His response was “Everyone has a story.” The idea being content is senior to technique.
Tom,
Interesting on Tatum. The documentary ‘Fade to Black’ chronicles the making of an album by Jay Z. What came through is that he is not on top by figuring out what he thinks people will listen to or like. He goes out, ala Tatum, and finds what communicates to him. There is a great segment on he and Rick Rubin hooking up to make 99 Problems (two people from completely different universes). He started hitting the Indie Rock scene because he felt they were carrying forward on the ‘rebel’ spirit of music whereas hip hop and rap were too busy trying to give the public what they’ll buy.
Mentor good. Guru bad.
Here is part of an interview of Andre Previn with Oscar Peterson, where they talk about Tatum. Gotta make some time to check out your new digs…
We miss you, man.
The Vedic culture never proselytized yet it has become part of the American fabric. In India all paths are considered valid. You can have one teacher but you respect all. It’s like saying,”I love my wife she is the best” but still recognizing that other successful marriages exist.
I experiemented with many paths, but now my path is the best for me. But part of my path is the recognition that truth is not exclusive.
I am loyal to my path, but would defend to the death the right of others to practice theirs freely.
Truth is truly a universal commodity, and the multiplicity of practices, the various approaches to truth are a boon to mankind and not a hindrance.
‘Only ways’ are so yesteryear. Appreciation of diversity is the mountain peak on which contemporary sages of wisdom see far ahead and deep within.
Marty
Thanks for this great example. This reminds me of an experience ive had. I used to have my yearly medical check up each time with the same very reputable doctor. Every year, it was the same routine, and the same bill of good health. In 2010, I thought:’ “ Maybe this doctor has a pre-conceived idea of what my health looks like, and he always looks at me through the same lens. Maybe a completely different doctor would see something different in me.” So that year I did my check up with a new doctor.
Within 5 minutes of checking me out, even though I felt fine and had no symptoms,. he said he had a sense I should try a medical test I had never had before. I did the test the next day. They found what he had suspected. Apparently I had had this medical condition for at least 10 years. Had I stayed with the same doctor, I would never had known and from what I read, my life expectancy would have been shortened by 10 years or more.
Every religion I come across broadens my horizon. Scientology is one. I’m fascinated by what I read about your tech. Not sure I want to practice it myself, but I can relate to what I read, and just to read about it, I find very transformative. It helps me put my own spiritual practice into context. It helps me become less dependent, less excluding, more accepting of others. It helps me feel better about my own choices. It helps me get in touch with a more compassionate place in myself. It helps me feel that I am in charge of my own life, and it helps me accept with kindness that many paths and practices lead to an experience of truth, that this experience is individual in nature, and that truth is bigger than any path. It helps me realize that there is no right and wrong, that right and wrong are temptations, that they are reductionist, that they actually are entrapments. It helps me see that the freedom I aspire for within knows no bounds.
I once lived isolated in the countryside, and I had two chicken in a coop. The ceiling of the coop was very low, maybe a couple of feet. One day I opened their door and decided to let them go out in the field as they pleased. The chickens’ first reaction, when they saw there was no ceiling above her head anymore, was to crouch. They were terrified of the height of the sky. They had come to find freedom in confinement. A wide open space was frightening for them. And yet, this is where they belonged. Fortunately, they soon overcome this and started enjoying their new free range life.:)
Similarly, something in me, in every person, I believe, wants to be free. The heart will never settle for less than what it knows to be true, and the heart knows that freedom knows no bounds, just love, compassion, understanding.
Thanks for this great post
Marty,
Fantastic tie-in and finish to the last post or two.
Additionally, I have a heightened respect for Ray.
I became a Ray Lewis fan when I heard him discussing Payton Manning on the top 100 all-time NFL players show. He not only listens to his coaches. He respects the positive points of his opponents. He is a consummate professional.
That’s a great message Marty.
I can hear the “true believers” freaking out now. Nothing against true believers. I was one for a long time. I always told myself that I was my own man and I think I was to a large extent. I did get to the point at one time where I felt that it was unncecessary to look to or read anything anyone else said because it might contain “false data”. That was a big trap and the other part of that trap was to agree that criticisms equal overts. That one really shut me down big time.
I ran that road all the way home with all the sec checks I agreed to on Solo Nots. Paying a huge price for buying into that lie.
If you really are a smart Scientologist I think you would be able to evaluate any data and compare it to existing data that you know and see if it is valuable. If you can do this, then you can go anywhere on any planet and be able to survive.
When you believe the lie that you’re “special” you separate from others and work harder than ever to protect that “special-ness”.
I saw a documentary about Paul Williams the song writer and he said believing he was talented was one thing….but believing he was “special” was addicting. To me this is what Scientologist have done to crucify themselves….believing that they are special and somehow “better” and “special”. We are naturally inclusive in nature….we like people and want to have fellowship with each other…..Ray Lewis discovered that he wasn’t special and discovered he was part of something much larger than himself….Humility is an awesome thing. 🙂
I think I would agree with you, BUT…
Say someone is a Christian. They choose to self-identify as a Christian. They appreciate other faiths, but ultimately they will always turn to the bible for their spiritual balm. Whilst they would listen to, say, Buddhist teachings, it would never touch them as deeply as the words of Jesus Christ.
Would you, strictly speaking, consider them “a little more blind, a little more deaf, and ultimately a lot less bright, intelligent and capable” ?
Not meant as trolling – I like to cogitate on your posts Marty, and I’ve been thinking about the nature of faith a bit recently.
This is sorta off topic to the higher discussion that is happening here, but I’m still scratching my head as to why their was a bet in Vegas on the odds of the lights going out during the bowl.
Evidently the Ravens pulled forward after that. But I don’t participate in those games anymore… still very interesting.
A lot of this infomation may well be down to cultural programming and memes. And yeah, it’s no good putting all ones footballs in a single basket.
Best to pull from a wide choice of gathered wisdom. Truth be told, I lean on SCN when I need some bad assed control put in on a situation, and the old I get the less I want or need that.
Marty,
Nope, not at all. When I got into Scientology (from same area as you by the way), I did not throw away my books or my attitude toward philosophies that lead me to Scientology. I saw no reason to feel superior or make wrong those who had chosen other paths because I could always see an alignment, just as LRH said there was a connection to the Veda etc. Not that I didn’t ‘drink the Kool-aide’, because I did, but just not the flavors of ‘your path is wrong’ or ‘LRH has ALL the answers to EVERYTHING”. What is funny is that some Scientologist who do find something else that is workable,no matter what the subject, want to find a connection to LRH, or make him the source of it, when there is absolutely no connection. That’s the unfortunate results of being a dedicated kool-aide addict. Shootin’ the Kool-aide hits the brain and inadvertently numbs the mind!!
Even as a DKAA, I found admiration for people in places that lived in ‘enemy camps’ and unusual forbidden places. Example: I have seen amazing work by a psychiatrist who has been able to help mothers and father’s of adoptive babies bond with the baby. The baby is given an R factor about the babies biological parents with the new parents present. Then they do a formal introduction between baby and parents. The baby gets held by another person so it is at eye level with the mom, and the mom and baby just look at each other (no rules to this) and the bonding evidently occurs. The biology takes over while the thetans align. Amazing. Maybe the evil psych stole and squirreled the TRs data!!! Hahaha…but what if…I say great, steal some more because that is an excellent application. The research on this showed that the babies were calmer and I think that the long term studies on this should be interesting. Adoptive kids very often carry the feeling of resentment, loss, etc when there has been a bait n’ switch of their parents. It is worse of course if the kids aren’t told, but even when they know, many get key’d in to the loss and resent their current parents or seek out the biological parents. It can be agonizing for these folks. I have seen this situation with students time and time again. Scientology auditing would be great to employ after this orientation/bonding experience. But, not everyone is a Scientologist- oh my!- so why not validate what gets results?
Realizations, ah-ha moments, cogs, epiphanies– the moment of discovery– can happen everyday if one is alert and interested in what others have to say. I always remember the definition of Scientology as knowing how to know: the study of Knowledge. Search for knowledge has a beginning, but not an end. Being a ‘life long learner’ is an overused educational catch phrase, but when actually taken to heart it is good philosophy to embrace.
Thanks much for this life lesson.
I also had to thought,that even though a person makes mistakes in their life or is less than perfect, it doesn’t mean they couldn’t have something extraordinary to contribute. 🙂
@Paul,
I love your post: “They had come to find freedom in confinement. A wide
open space was frightening for them. And yet, this is where they belonged. Fortunately, they soon overcome this and started enjoying their new free range life.:)” Hmm, this sounds like how Int base prisoners of the RPF would feel after escaping out of the hole and realizing they could finally go back to their natural state of being.
This statement also reminded me of the book NIGHT, by Eli Weisel. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it. It is about the Jews on their way to the concentration camps and their day to day existence after arriving. The author was one of the Jews. He captures the little details of how it was to ride in a closed cattle car cramped next to others for days with no light, no air, and no way to get out. Unbelievable, yet so true. He is a university proff. and was just given an award (not the first) last year. The book is his direct experience. The attitudes of the Jews toward confinement is discussed. It is a short but extremely powerful novel.
@dankoon: You betcha…GO 49ers “they come back”
I find that successful people of any stripe usually are in a mode of constant learning from any souce that seems relevant to them.
Often they have had a single mentor figure who has taught them the bulk of what got them on the path of initial success, who is predominately responsible for it in their mind, but that doesnt mean they dont learn from others as well as they progress.
In something like Scientology which has its theoretical/philosophical aspect, as well a pratical applied aspect, one must differentiate. At this point i can and do study and learn from mutliple sources as regards religion, philosophy, and spirituality. That doesnt mean i accept whatever i learn or study, but i do get the data and evaluate it for myself.
But as regards the nuts and bolts of processing/auditing, i havent found anything that even remotely compares to its effectiveness and workablility of LRH tech. So for now, i’m more than happy to stick to praticitioners who only diligently apply the techniques of LRH.
When i’ve finished all the new OT levels, the L’s, and the old OT levels, then if i feel something is missing or i can benefit from more processing, i will create it myself or find someone who has created something that makes sense to me. Maybe at that point i just need to practice increased livingness. I dont know, i’m not there yet.
“The Tao doesn’t take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn’t take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.
The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.
Hold on to the center.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
I agree, sure.
Everything we find in Scientology is based on theory.
Every single technological piece in Scientology is based on theories.
And there are so many other theories, spriritual and scientific as well.
Everyone should look for different theories originated by different teachers or scientists.
I like many buddhist theories and they can be easily implemented in ones life.I also like different christian (and even one particular catholic) theories.
I like religions and the variety of spiritual viewpoints.
Problems begin when we start to substitute theories with belief systems.
Than we are told what to believe (and to do) and are no longer on the path to truth.
“A theory is only as good as it works” and in order to find it out, we need to look for ourselves.
And the reason I post on this blog is because there are some things in the Scientology system worth saving. Some very original approaches that need protected and further developed by benevolent wise men and women.
And there are some things that need the trash bin: desperately!
It is pretty obvious that if it was all right for LRH to read everything he could get his hands on, then I should be able to do it too, instead of being told by someone interpreting DM’s interpretation of LRH to decide what I can and cannot study.
Christ taught exposed a philosphy based on love of ones fellows and forgiveness. If ones strikes you or offends turn the other cheek and all of that. Let the who has not sinned cast the first stone and perhaps most importantly the concept that ANYONE can find salvation. Some powerful and profound stuff.
Centuries later one of his largest churches and followings built “an army of Christ.” If one looks at the tenets of that religion can there be a more ridiculous concept? If one really practices true christianity does one engadge in organized killing? Obviously not, but hundreds of thousands of good christians took up the sword and whole countries supported them.
On the other hand Islam is largely predicated upon the concept of Fair Game. I have made close study of the Koran. It is a very simple book and unambigous in its dictates. A person who has truely submitted to Allah (the One God) prays towards Meccah 5 times per day, washes the body with the left hand only, eats with the right hand only, does not eat certain animals, and converts the infidel (by sword if neened) or kills, rapes or ensalves the infidel at the muslims pleasure. That’s about it. ( Dont beleive me? Go ahead and study the Koran and prove me different.)
The infidel is at all times Fair Game. An infidel, the non follower of Allah and his Prophet, can and should be lied to, cheated, tortured, maimed, raped, killed, enslaved or anything that furthers the interests of the muslim or islam. Prior to the Crusades, the Muslims where on quite a roll. They had taken over all the lands of the former Eastern Roman Empire (north africa, egypt, palastine, greece) and were making succesful incurions into the west (spain, italy, the balkans).
The Christian world was very near collapse and extinction. Muslim armies had reached the gates of Vienna, then the most powerful capitol in Christiandom. So, to forgive the muslim hoards was all well and good, but what if doing so meant the death of christianity on earth? (not to mention a WHOLE lot of Christians) On one hand, the armchair spiritualist can defame them for so thoroughly violating the very core precepts of their founder and source, Christ. On the other hand, the unusual solution of creating their “Army of Christ” undoubtably saved Christianity and western civilisation.
So, these people, instead of strictly following Christ learned from their enemy Muhammed, and waged all out relious war. The Muslim certainly had no interest or desire to desist in war, enless met and stopped on the field of battle.
So, i beleive that history shows, there are times when even a whole religion must look to other sources than their founder when survival is on the line, even if it violates basic precepts. Not that this is a simple road or wont lead to problems. With Christianity, this led to the Church gaining too much secular power, the Inquisition, indulgences and all the rest of the ills of the Catholic Church.
I can really see that.
TC and DM think they are the BIG BEINGS. They think they are so benevolent to help us lesser “db’s” or “wogs” or “out-ethics” particles or “PTS” or “SP” or someone “in lowers”, or “reasonable”, or “worker oriented”, or “1.1” or, or….
It really is sort of like how the Nazi’s lessened the value of the Jews by demeaning them.
But Scientology puts on a big front to “help” all these lesser types. So it is ok to disconnect from someone like this. It is ok to punish them on the RPF, so they cognite how screwed up they are. It is ok for the Sea Org members to donate their time to make things for TC at no charge because he is such a BIG BEING. It is a very sick culture to be in.
It is ok to get people to donate their life savings to help “save the planet” from the SP’s who are very busy destroying it. If you donate your life savings then you will be demonstrating your true OT beingness and real urge towards a pro survival goal and maybe, just maybe, one day you will be like Tom or Dave. Wow!! Imagine!!!
“Is there any reason this [willfully ignore any other teacher but for a chosen one] does not apply to philosophy, religion, psychotherapy and one’s search for greater spiritual heights?”
Of course if applies. One-dimensionality is ultimately fatal. Those who did that with respect to Scientology erred. They did so despite the numerous admonitions NOT to do so, a couple of which you quoted in recent posts.
Why the admonitions? For the very reasons you raise this issue – it’s sage advice. Scientology is the subject for knowing how to know. It’s not a belief system like earlier practices. It is a way, a path. To enter belief into the subject is entering into it an earlier practice which only gets you as far as such earlier practices – believing instead of KNOWING.
There is a difference between a teacher and an instructor. The classic teacher is an authoritarian, whereas an instructor shows you the way, or how to do things. A teacher is interesting. An instructor is interested.
Ron was both an instructor and a pathfinder. Yes, he had to lay down some authoritarian rules with respect to certain behaviors to preclude his party from remaining trapped in the labyrinth of the quantum field. Rescue missions are anything but wishy-washy if they’re to be successful. And, yes, he had his quirks and peccadilloes. Name anyone that forwarded Mankind’s lot who didn’t.
Not looking and being willfully ignorant of other data is in direct contravention of the breakthroughs in education, logical thinking, and accurate investigation that he left us: Study Technology and the Data Series. It is those seminal breakthroughs that delivered subsequent breakthroughs and workable methodologies, and can continue to do so by anyone who has mastered them.
Willful ignorance is not Scientology. It’s some earlier practice. It’s not about the man or the corporation. It’s about the skills for finding and knowing truth – wherever it may be found.
It is how we got as far as we did in our indiividual quests for greater spiritual heights and also found our way to this and similar safe-points in cyberspace.
It is how we will complete the rescue mission.
Well said, Tony.
Sorry Dan, I love you in the TRs film but next year the Seahawks will bury the 49ers — Russell Wilson rules. As for Marty’s espoused viewpoint, it was how I felt with I first walked into a Scientology Franchise back in the day. It was a fantastic atmosphere, high curiosity and I always left on a cloud. It seems that I discovered something new about myself every other time I went in.
I’m currently auditing a lovely, 75 year old Christian lady. And I do mean a Lady.
She has taught me about the fine art of forgiveness.
I have helped her with, “This is the Session.”
She’s just about ready to complete Grade O. Has had some marvelous wins and is using them in life to repair a major situation.
She is an artist who hadn’t painted in many years. She is now painting and using her amazing gift as her method of breaching the broken comm lines in her life. She had a reach from one person who she dearly loves and it all appears to be mending.
Her faith is making my job easier.
We’re a great team.
We learn from eachother and respect eachother’s religious beliefs.
In my opinion, far too many “scientologists” think the Creed is just a shore story to cover the real operation. In my opinion, the Creed is the real operation.
You can’t help people if you don’t understand them. You can’t understand them if you don’t listen and ack what was actually said. Some of them are much smarter than me, have seen more and have something of value to teach. Do we learn? Or do we “know best?”
Les
“What I believe the Ray Lewis story teaches is that if you really want to become the best you can be, you don’t hitch your wagon to one teacher and attempt to emulate him, worship, comply and obey and tune out the rest.”
True. Bear in mind your quest for enlightenment can span many lifetimes. If this lifetime I concentrate on LRH, that is fine with me. I have indeed concentrated on others in other lives. Jesus Christ, for example. Socrates for example. My wagon has many hitches.
IMO the senior consideration is recognizing what you observe and to ignore the notion of hitching your wagon to ONE person and therefore diminishing your progress. What you know is what you know. Know it when you know it.
The communication formula as described by LRH is described by him in a precise and practical manner. It can be applied in all spheres of thought, therapy and religion. So, regarding this formula, I have hitched my wagon to LRH in this case. I have not found another expression of this formula that helps me help others more. Helps me, help others. Tons of them.
My plan is to continue, datum by datum. Discarding what does not work for my ability to help others. For example, the rote use of statistics or conditions, for example. Just learning to recognize them can be enough. Just that one action.
I needed data on etiquette recently. Found a good author.
Not found the solution to whole track amnesia though.
Still looking.
Excellent points. The flip side of special can be lonely…I differ from my group, I am an exception, etc.. Inclusion, acceptance, unconditional love and unity have brought me great joy.
Link, No question the Seahawks and 49ers will duke it out for the NFC West crown, probably for some years to come. But like Stanford under Harbaugh owned USC under Pete Carroll, I don’t see that changing (Seattle’s buttkicking delivered to the 49ers this year notwithstanding). Gotta love Russell Wilson, but a good big man wins over a good little man. Good to get some sports smack going here.
“I believe the minute you agree to willfully ignore any other teacher but for a chosen one you have in effect made yourself a little more blind, a little more deaf, and ultimately a lot less bright, intelligent and capable.”
I agree, Marty and I’m sure LRH would be the first agree with you, too. That said, it seems to me that there is a tendency to put LRH in the same league as other philosophers or thinkers, who have not produced a comparable body of work , certainly have not given us a whole bridge to travel.
A bridge, that I feel, is now often being judged by folks, who have, in the case of Ex. SO., for instance, only traveled it a fraction of the way and under oppressive conditions to boot.
Take the story about wisdom of Confucius on your blog the other day and compare it to your recent LRH-quote about freedom.
Any Buddhist monk (or American short story writer for that matter)
could come up with that story. But would they come up with any of the LRH quotes you have posted recently? I doubt it.
Marcel Wenger
I am not the „I know all about Religion“ man. But my understanding is a bit different. As far as I know the original goals of Scientology, Buddhism, Hindi, Christianity had not been to lead a better life here on Earth. The goal had been to end the endless body – death – next body – death chain. If you look at „Creation of Human Ability“ then you have 2 parts. Part 2 is to go out of the body and part 1 is to train with being exterior. Later Scientology converted to „self help“ „be better in this or that“ or „billion years contract“ or „get more money and be a good boy“ religion. As far as I know Buddhism is also about leaving the chain. Using a tool for what it is not intended for makes trouble. I considered the „self help“ aspect of Scientology only as a marketing thing to get in new people. But then you do (did in the past) the Communication Course, did the TRO the hard way, went out of the body and then you had been considered a Scientologist. Then you basically could decide if you want to go back to your former life or you want to stay.
Now people think that it is all about going OT. OT not someone that is exterior to Matter and Body but someone that is rich, powerfull, overwhelming others, doing what he wants type of person.
One of the main reasons why I visit this blog, is that I get a breath of “fresh air” that often times was lacking when I only drank from one cup.
What you have said truly represents a great example of “Knowing How To Know”.
Too true. Different motivations indeed. Perhaps one is interested and the other interesting?
An excellent point!
And this makes me wonder what you might make of someone, and his motives, who would demand this of his followers by uncategorically stating many times in many different forums and platforms of communication that he had discovered and codified the ONLY way.
Who might he be ‘helping’ if he demanded that?
(Hint: Only ONE person, and it ain’t YOU!)
‘Categorically’… not ‘Uncategorically’, I mean to write. *rolls eyes at self*
I guess this doesn’t include Internet auditing.
Marty, I am all for looking at whatever improves my life. What other philosophies or teachings should we look at outside Scientology that might be helpfull?
I wouldn’t think that at all…..The Journey is not an option….the path you take to get there and when you get there is up to you….I applaud anyone who has a path of any kind…..I think the “church” is on it’s way out…..I think many organized religions are…..And for me knowing this is huge because when you read KSW over and over and over and over you become brainwashed to the extent that “there is no other way to become free other than Scientology…… and that is just not true AT ALL.
That depends on where you are at personally. Send me an email that outlines where you stand intellectually and spiritually. Include where you are at on the training and auditing side of the bridge and what you have done and studied to transcend from there. Include what it is you are wishing to achieve.
Thanks Tony — this is beautiful. I’m going to read more William Ernest Henley!! Thanks for the new lead
Only-ness leads to arrogance which leads to demonization which leads to cruelty which leads to self-destruction.
>> In my opinion, far too many “scientologists” think the Creed is just a shore story to cover the real operation. In my opinion, the Creed is the real operation. <<
Yeah.
You know, The Creed of the Founding Church of Scientology was the first writing I’ve read on Scientology. And I was all for it. And I still am.
Les, it’s simple. YOU are a Scientologist. And this is the Scientology I choose to be a part of. Beautiful.
I love reading your commentary, Paul.
I find incredible value in learning from people and looking at things from their perspective and their base of assumptions. A basic assumption of Scientology is that “Man is basically good.” That includes virtually everyone, including people with radically different opinions and points of view.
I know people who are passionate Mormons, Evangelicals, atheists, and New Agers. They are all reasoned in their beliefs. They are all intelligent people. They all want people to live well and do better. And I have learned from them.
I am glad you had a new doctor check you out! Great example of how complacency of viewpoint can have not-so-good consequences.
Mark
wonderful. The strength of man’s spirit is something to behold.
Rebecca, I appreciate your point about “the flip side of special can be lonely.” It takes some doing after being so “special” in the C of S to appreciate others “With” their imperfections!
The comment “if you really want to become the best you can be, you don’t hitch your wagon to one teacher and attempt to emulate him, worship, comply and obey and tune out the rest” is of a piece with another from a few days back:
“Unfortunately [Scientology] comes with an instilled mores that devalues and prohibits meaningful horizontal growth” (2-05-13 post).
I believe that while these comments are important and no doubt valid as to many who wound up in Scientology, they are also somewhat irrelevant as to a whole lot of other people who entered Scientology via an entirely different life path.
Like many others, people I know well, who discovered Scientology around the same time I did, I got my “horizontal growth” from school, from college, from graduate school, from the 60s.
Before I got into Scientology, I read a lot about religion – including Eastern. Majored in Philosophy too.
As far as I was concerned, reading “lessons” such as the one about Confucius that Marty includes, did nothing for me. Sure, I could see there was wisdom there, insight, and so on. I read ENDLESS wise sayings and writings. None of them handled my case. None of them changed my behavior. Kahlil Gabran was one of my favorites, still have his book on my shelf 50+ years later.
I did not look to Scientology for “horizontal growth”. I did not need, or expect, my Scientology courses to teach me about the sayings of Lao Tze, Mao Tsetung, Aristotle, Malcolm X, Jesus, John Lennon, Joseph Campbell, Jay-Z or anyone else. Not even about my favorite guru of insights to that point, Bob Dylan.
I expected Scientology to teach me about Scientology. I assumed I was there to learn about the philosophy, teachings, and methodologies of one L. Ron Hubbard.
Scientology was all new to me, WAY different from anything else I’d studied to that point, and it is what I wanted to know more about.
Not to the exclusion of anything else, by the way. It is simply that I did not enroll in Scientology courses to learn about anything other than Scientology.
That I was not supposed to, or expected to, continue learning about other things from other sources never once occured to me, nor were such strictures imposed on me, NOT ONCE, at least through 1995.
I believed then, and now, that I’d had plenty of “horizontal growth”. Not that one ever has enough of any kind of growth. It’s just that I did not feel myself lacking in that area.
In fact, it was precisely because I had a lot of “horizontal growth” under my belt, that I was drawn to Scientology.
But none of that “horizontal growth” ever increased my ability to deal with my own issues, difficulties, desires for improvement, in any significant way. It was mostly all what is called in Scientology “significance” – ideas without mass.
Scientology, to me, was the most embracive subject I’d ever run across. As far as I was (and am) concerned, Scientology was the mental and spiritual equivalent of the Unified Field Theory (aka “Theory of Everything”) of physics.
Scientology was different from anything I had ever encountered. Why? Because it was primarily a set of tools that allowed me to sift through my own baggage and arrive at MY OWN TRUTH.
Then, and only then, was I able to change the actions and patterns of my life, bringing them (hopefully) around to a more pro-survival path.
I fully acknowledge that many others had vastly different experiences than mine. But I feel compelled to communicate my experience too, because more & more, I get the sense that there is considerable agreement developing on this blog that Scientology is at best, just another “ism”, perhaps one with unique and workable tools, but offset by a lot of stultifying close-mindedness and intense pressure to conform to just one man’s philosophy and rules.
My only point is, there are many of us who never agreed to, never bought into, never succumbed to, the close-mindedness and pressure to conform to behaviors, beliefs and policies that seemed to us to be a clear violation of the basic tenets of Scientology – whether they came from LRH, DM, a misguided SO member, or anyone else.
One last thing: Scientology is unique and special in this universe. It isn’t just another philosophy, body of knowledge, “ism” or belief system. That’s one person’s viewpoint, for what it’s worth
Agree. Being open to the wisdom available from all sources does not invalidate one of them. And a major point the church misses is – to do so is to walk in the footsteps of Ron because that was what he did.
Now there is a great example of how a valuable concept and tool has been perverted by the not-quite-bright. I have had false data stripping sessions that were nothing short of miraculous.
Somehow certain people warped the idea of false data into “don’t read stuff.” That is crazy. Yet there is a phenomenon around False Data, which is when people accept an incorrect datum uninspected because of the Authority of the issuer, and then that datum blocks the ability to read and evaluate new information. That is a real phenomenon, and it is happening every day in the church.
But to use FD to cut reach is, well, suppressive.
Yes, I agree with you. I have also gotten great traction from reading many of the source materials LRH drew from instead of looking only through the lens of LRH’s interpretation / extraction of what he deemed important or valuable in those materials. For example, Manhood of Humanity : The Science and Art of Human Engineering (1921) by Alfred Korzybski. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25457/25457-pdf.pdf
A couple of example quotes:
“Figuratively speaking Human Engineering is a higher order of bridge engineering—it aims at the spanning of a gap in practical life as well as in knowledge. The old meanings of matter, space and time were good enough to prevent the collapse of a bridge; the same understanding of space and time as used in this book will protect society and humanity from periodical collapses. The old mechanics lead directly to such a knowledge of the intrinsic laws governing the universe as to suggest the new mechanics.”
“Humans can be literally poisoned by false ideas and false teachings. Many people have a just horror at the thought of putting poison into tea or coffee, but seem unable to realize that, when they teach false ideas and false doctrines, they are poisoning the time- binding capacity of their fellow men and women. One has to stop and think! There is nothing mystical about the fact that ideas and words are energies which powerfully affect the physico-chemical base of our time-binding activities.”
This is what it is all about. Thanks Les.
That is wonderful. I’d love to meet that ‘whole lot of other people.’ If everyone shared your experience there would be no demand for this blog and all else I’ve been working on for the the past four years.
I agree. This is probably the most destructive concepts in Scientology, the idea that there is a hierarchy of being-hood. It is such a crazy concept, and it is exactly contrary to the whole idea of Scientology, which is to get ALL people better.
I remember one IAS briefing where the reg showed my this “confidential PL” on how there are only a few Big Beings, the rest of the planet are degraded beings, and all we needed to do to clear the planet was find and clear the few “Big Beings.” To what end? To have Big Nazis?
I never saw this PL before or since, but apparently there are people running with it. I have seen the “Big Being” concept in tapes like “The Free Being”, though.
I personally never agreed with this idea. I disbelieved in God when I was a kid because “who elected this guy? and why is he better than me or you?” So I sure as hell didn’t buy a Big Being concept in Scn. It is like a weird strain that runs totally contrary to the rest of the tech.
I do know assholes love this concept. Assholes love to be validated for their inherent superiority.
I totally agree, Marty.
Over the years, I have found this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson to be true:
“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.”
This is very true. Most of my career has been in the professional world, and most of my co-workers were college educated, some with advanced degrees. I eventually had the opportunity to work in manufacturing with people who were self-taught and who held the “blue collar” positions of the company. Two points here: 1. I heard some of the most asinine ideas come from the mouths of people who supposedly were educated, and 2. some of the most amazing insights I have run across came from people who barely made it out of High School.
Every man and woman is my superior in some way. Very true.
I first read this in Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. By the way, speaking of many teachers, I recommend this book to everyone.
Hi,
ML/A
I agree with you. Clearly my experience was not that of everyone, and I took great pains to point that out. But I could name many whose experience was like mine. Some are contributors to this blog. Probably not wise to do so without permission of course. How about “people from the bay area who got into Scientology during the late 60s/early 70s” for starters?
You are doing awesome work, which is why I’ve followed your blog for the last 3 or so years. I just don’t want it forgotten that not all of us who consider ourselves fellow independents considered Scientology – as we experienced it – to be a stultifying, insulated closed system, limiting of our growth and intellectual expansion, at least during many of the LRH years.
Publius,
“I expected Scientology to teach me about Scientology. I assumed I was there to learn about the philosophy, teachings, and methodologies of one L. Ron Hubbard.”
I believe this is flawed.
L. Ron Hubbard took the work of 50,000 years of thinking men and distilled it into a philosophy which touches on techniques of his predecessors. Learning about Chakras, for instance, is a great basis for understanding how touch assists work. So is the study of chiropractic, which LRH was a big supporter of. In modern times, EFT-tapping (emotional freedom technique, where you physically tap certain points on the body while reviewing past mental limitations which are holding you up), works better for me than Self Analysis or Book One ever did. If you read “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen, or “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles, (both published before LRH was alive), you’ll see exactly and precisely where LRH learned all about postulates, intention, law of attraction and where he came up with the idea that “you get what you put your attention on” and “You’ve got to think high to rise”.
Scientology is not from one L. Ron Hubbard by any stretch. It is a wide array of philosophies.
Gotcha. Great.
What you say here – “I believe the minute you agree to willfully ignore any other teacher but for a chosen one you have in effect made yourself a little more blind, a little more deaf, and ultimately a lot less bright, intelligent and capable.” – is the key to all the salient things you have ever said….and well said at that IMHO!
I have a copy of that PL — it is handwritten by LRH — dated 1963 — it was part of the “Ship Briefing Pack” — not sure if this is the one you were showed by an IAS reg but it might have been. Many people became somewhat electrified by the contents.
“As not all living beings are capable of attaining OT (the vast bulk of a population, are possibly minion in origin (like animals, grass and trees) the task of rehabilitation is not as great as it looks” … the handwritten confidential PL is 14 pages
Thanks, WH. That sounds like the one. I’d love to see a copy.
Send me an address and I’ll copy and send it to you. Email me at windhorse11@hushmail.com
Dear Bryan,
“L. Ron Hubbard took the work of 50,000 years of thinking men and distilled it into a philosophy..”
He named it Scientology! You may add some complexities as 20th century
copyright law but what’s your argument? He didn’t?
ML/A
I thought this was a rather fascinating video. It’s short – 4 minutes.
Perhaps someday – once enough of the dust settles and the intention to bring TO the world the value of LRH’s work some broad minded scientologists/indies will pair up with science to show how those who have had auditing are able to quiet their minds and help reduce suffering.
First I guess would be a willingness on the part of scientologists to acknowledge that sometimes they do get depressed … without fear of reprisal from an MAA …
“I always remember the definition of Scientology as knowing how to know: the study of Knowledge”.
Ask any ‘educated’ individual on earth, that has been exposed to scientology’s ‘know how to know’ comment, and they will smile at the absurdity of calling ‘the study of knowledge’ called ‘knowing how to know’ as being something that is profound, or an enlightened utterance.
Ask any ‘uneducated’ individual on earth, that has been exposed to scientologys’ ‘know how to know’ comment, and they will gush with amazement at such a brilliant life changing, equal to the discovery of fire, comment.
And such emotional gushery (made up word) tends to lie at the heart of those that joined scientology whilst lacking a basic grasp of what the phrase ‘knowing how to know’ actually meant. Hint, it is not equal to the discovery of fire. It’s more akin to discovering a local community college.
Nonetheless, from there the game was on.
From ‘knowing how to know’ to being super human beings. Lol.
A childs mind is funny that way.
PS. Your overall post was well written. So please, if possible, do not take my criticism as evidence that I want to prevent every man woman and child on this earth from ever experiencing ‘total freedom’. lol.
I’d love to see the whole PL.
Typewritten it could be as little as 3-4 pages, right?
I would say my experience was similar to his Marty. Maybe it was me, maybe it was because I was unqualled for the SO and didnt end up in that environment. I got interested in Scientology through Dianetics which I read in the library during period in my life where I was spending days in the library reading psychology, spirituality, philosophy- anything I thought might contain what I was looking for. I wasn’t sure if I needed “horizontal” or “vertical”, but I knew I needed something and Dianetics seemed like the thing. I read most of the basic books there as well as the critical books. It seemed very familiar. So I went to my local Org (Phoenix), took some Div 6 courses and joined staff in 1992. I feel there were things not right with the organization and I had some disappointments, wasted time and I wouldn’t mind having my IAS and other donated money back, but overall I would still say I had a positive experience because even with all the bad there was much good and it got me where I am today which I feel is a better place. There were outpoints and false data that this blog has been very helpful in clearing up for me. At this time the subject for me is just sort of there and I don’t have a lot of interest in analyzing, critiquing and all that. So, I’m sorry for fighting some of you guys as it wasn’t really necessary. I have been drawn to this blog because it feels like a group and that is one of the few things I miss from the Church. At this point I can step back and look at it for what it is and I just want to keep moving forward. Some have said that this blog is a bit like third dynamic auditing and I think there is some truth to that. If that is the case, perhaps I’m a bit overrun? I think I ran out of questions and originations a year or two ago and I continued to comment, mostly criticizing Miscavige or re-stating things already covered to make data I felt was important perpetuated. Right now I am starting continuing my auditor training and I feel good about it. I hope everything resolves here and things turn out well for everyone. I think the most likely end result with the Church is a continued, gradual fading and loss of power and members. Maybe Miscavige will leave or be removed at some point. My main concern regarding that was that we would be able to practice Scientology freely into the future and I think that objective has been achieved. It seems like the closer one gets to Miscavige, the worse their experience is in Scientology. I only got within a few feet of him once and never met him so his bad vibes didn’t get on me I guess.
Surprisingly, the best definition of love I ever learned was from a “psych”.
Here it comes:
“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.”
― M. Scott Peck
Great story, Les, and quite instructional.
Thank-you.
Vic
And where did all these other philosophies come from? Were they sui generis, or more likely, did their originators also build on the work of others?
I don’t know of a philosopher, inventor, or scientist who did not acknowledge the work of others as being foundational for his or her own work – including Hubbard.
Just because Einstein built on the work of others such as Newton or Maxwell, is no reason I should not take a course that is exclusively about Einstein’s work.
Just because the Rolling Stones built on the work of numerous blues greats who came before them, is no reason I shouldn’t load up my ipod with Stones songs. Maybe I just like the way they do blues better than did those who came before.
Nor do I really see a great necessity to study Chakras in order to know why touch assists work. Reading the one page explanation in the back of the original “Problems of Work” was good enough for me. It’s simple, it rings true from experience, and (most of all), it works. I have received enormous relief from getting touch assists, and I have helped others get tons of relief by giving them. WHY they work is nowhere near as important as THAT they work, as far as I’m concerned.
Most of all, I just happen to think no one has ever come close to distilling the common denominators of life and existence as succinctly and beautifully as Hubbard did in the Axioms, Logics, and Factors. If that were all he had contributed, I think LRH would be deserving of as much admiration and respect as any other philosopher or scientist who ever graced this planet.
Perhaps my experience was opposite; I was a 2nd generation Scientologist and then went back and completed university and have far too many post grad degrees.
But what surprised me was the lack of arrogance. I had several lecturers whose opinions were admired in academic circles, yet they were interested in others opinions/viewpoints. There wasn’t a hierarchy structure; just people sharing/furthering viewpoints. Of course it all had to be well documented and backed up, but there was a willingness to listen and learn.
One of my lecturers became homeless several years ago, and my reaction was to help on the Soup run which is a grassroots charity to deliver practical support for people on the streets. Probably not the corporate viewpoint, but there but the grace of god etc…
Good questions, Marty. I think you have again brought important matters front and center. My two cents:
My study of spiritual practices (Chinese and Hindu religious systems, Buddhism, Christian mysticism, Kabala, Sufism, etc.) has led me to believe that progress is made by selecting a path and walking that path. To my mind, selecting a path or Teacher does not mean we have given up our self-determinism – we did the selecting and we should insist on retaining the ability to leave the path or Teacher selected.
Next, I differentiate between walking a path (which includes engaging in the PRACTICES of a path), and STUDY of other philosophies and ideas.
I both studied and practiced other subjects before I became a Scientologist. Afterwards, I never stopped studying (and benefiting from) other subjects. What I did stop was engaging in the PRACTICES of the other subjects. But, that was just a technical decision, made to avoid cross-programing and the inherent, potential program conflicts. This is analogous to why it is unwise to run a PC on FPRD and, say, L11 at the same time.
What is pretty well established is that the frequent changing of paths, or, ala some aspects of the New Age, constructing a spiritual smorgasbord (“a little bit from this practice, a little bit from that practice”) in most cases does not result in optimal progress and sometimes is even detrimental.
Many Buddhists abbots, great Yogic Sages, Christian monastic directors, concur and run the tightest ships you will come across – go to a Buddhist monastery and see how loosy goosey one’s life will be. So, too, with many Sufi groups, Christian contemplative orders, etc. They set out very strict paths. Heck, “yoga” comes from the root “to yoke.” Is this good?
My study leads me to conclude that defined paths are essential, at least until one has substantially separated out from the Reactive Bank (the charged sanskaric aggregations) of self and others, because the world and the mind have large elements of chaos, and tend to pull the individual hither and yon, undermining or even preventing progress.
To my view, none of this means we should ever give up our freedom to LEARN and to THINK. I am talking about PRACTICE. I do not hold myself up as any stellar example of a human being – the more I study and the more auditing I get, the more I become aware of how deeply flawed I am and how much work I need to do. That said, my continued study of other practices and philosophies never came up in sec checks nor was it ever a problem in Eligibility, etc. even though I spoke freely of it. Why?
Continued study is not an overt, so was not a withhold, and, in fact, continued study and learning is a KEY ELEMENT OF SCIENTOLOGY AND IT IS WHAT LRH NEVER STOPPED DOING. The idea that Scientology philosophy requires that one close one’s mind as to ideas outside of Scientology writings is opposite of what real Scientology is, in my view. Scientology, in my reading, is intended to ENCOMPASS all great wisdom.
The fact that the Tyrant (David Miscavige) and other fascists have promoted close mindedness does not mean that Scientology philosophy demands ignorance or that 1984-style tyranny of the mind is inherent in Scientology philosophy. It means that these fascists are promoting principles that do not conform with real Scientology philosophy.
The fact that LRH was not modest about what he created, does not mean that he did not also, in many places, emphasize the vital necessity of maintaining the freedom to think and the wisdom of continuous learning.
But, what about his unequivocal – even ferocious and scathing – condemnation of “squirreling?” I take KSW and Safeguarding Technology as talking about PRACTICE, not THOUGHT, a point that I believe Safeguarding Technology makes clear.
I do understand that it can appear at times that there ARE seeming dichotomies, “Following one leader vs. maintaining your own integrity,” “following one path vs. remaining open to learning for persons of wisdom,” etc. I believe that, ultimately, these are false dichotomies. We have Power of Choice and can do both, despite any seeming mutual exclusivity.
I believe that from the position of the Source of Existence/Brahman/God the Father/the Life Static/the Eight Dynamic- that in which We fully participate, while fully being Our Selves – there are no real dichotomies.
So, too, in the field of spiritual progress.
Fred
I agree with Martys summation. Good advice.
Dear Tony DePhillips, Grasshopper and windhorse
What is your considerations of “The Lotus that rise above the level of the water”?
ML/A
Great original posts Publius. My past CoS experience doesn’t go 60’s but it does go late 70’s through 2009. You can read my story herein from a few weeks ago if you haven’t.
I was stultified initially by one original OTVII Exec I chose to admire early on and it turned out he was full of crap, false data, and drama, which took years to realize the breadth of. Nevertheless I was more interested in Scientology than all the crap we put up with each other. That’s a small part of my story.
Perhaps you didn’t Publius, but no question I for one made some life direction decisions based upon considerable influence from the “higher ups” – namely my eternity, and yes even back then (1980) it was a button used, life [direction] changing being the keynote. I couldn’t just study and learn and receive Scientology, it quickly became a life changing all or not.
This is not a small thing to me, we may not be able to change the past, but we can deal with it, and the present and future as-is and change up the bullshit non-applicable suppressive additives.
B, I would say that what you asked and what Marty posted about are as different as different can be.
A Christian could easily listen to many points of view and eventually turn to the Bible as that what works for them. Nothing wrong with that as long as the Christian doesn’t shut out other points of view.
Marty is (mostly) talking about the viewpoint forwarded by corporate Scientology where you absolutely totally completely must not ever look to any other point of view except DM’s (note carefully that I said DM, not LRH) as they are all wrong.
As I see it, Marty wants to encourage people to broaden their point of view and be willing to experience more different things. Which is not at all related to the question you raised.
Moonshot writes..” history shows, there are times when even a whole religion must look to other sources than their founder when survival is on the line, even if it violates basic precepts. Not that this is a simple road or wont lead to problems. ..”
As far as I know, most religions have in common one formidable little “clause”, for sake of a better word, which both attracts new people, and creates a formidable barrier to their exit. This “clause” is that:
a) their unique approach, if practiced properly, provides a sure way to attain salvation, like no other path does.
b) Leaving this movement will deny you a chance to attain salvation.
c)
The conviction, among followers of a religion, that they are following the only path to salvation is a fascinating one: here are generally sincere people, with no ulterior agenda. Take ten people, following ten different religions, they all will have the same certainty that they are following the only true path to salvation. And each will likely believe that theirs is more right than the others.
Similarly, each of these ten people following ten different paths, will harbor great fear that if they ever stray away from their religious affiliation, they will blow their only chance to be saved. I find this “attraction/retention” mechanism in most religions fascinating.
I went twice through this challenging phase in my own life. First, taking some distance with the religion in which I was born and grew up. 22 years of endoctrination that this was the only path to salvation.
Then, when I took some friendly distance with the new religious movement which I had embraced. The fear of being damned for eternity, the fear of blowing it, was something huge to deal with. I wanted to deal with it with utmost sincerity, for a greater good rather than out of a reactive attitude. This brought inner battles that I had not anticipated. I felt torn within. But ultimately the storm passed, and the sun shone through the clouds.
What I learned is that if the heart of the person is pure, if they come from the heart, if what they are looking for is just truth, if they truly seek to understand, to know, and to help this world be a better, overcoming these fears, and coming on the other side with a deeper inner experience is possible.
What I have seen is that, on the other side is a land of greater not just outer, but also inner freedom, where one is at peace with oneself and with all paths, where one can embrace more than others whatever path one is more attuned with. What is gained in taking this lead of trust is a step toward satisfying one’s deepest aspiration: not just to be free from entrapment, but to experience, to feel the freedom that comes with each breath.
So yes, my view is that it is important to take a step each day toward greater freedom, toward answering the call of the self, which knows no bounds and no denominations.
“Is there any reason this does not apply to philosophy, religion, psychotherapy and one’s search for greater spiritual heights?”
No.
It applies to all of life. Which reminds me, when I was replying to B above, I remembered something I haven’t thought of in a long long time. It’s Ron’s take on The Golden Rule, reworked into a form that is usable:
1. Be willing to experience anything.
2. Only cause those effects others are willing to experience.
Ron really did come up with a bunch of absolute gems, and IMHO that is one of them.
“What I learned is that if the heart of the person is pure, if they come from the heart, if what they are looking for is just truth, if they truly seek to understand, to know, and to help this world be a better, overcoming these fears, and coming on the other side with a deeper inner experience is possible.”
Beautiful and so true!
Brilliant Fred. When you’ve completed OT VII or VIII let’s chat.
I am not sure if it was ever issued. I never saw it before or after. Just as part of the Ship Briefing Pack. But yes, if it was type written probably no more than 5 pages.
Plese me too.
Send to skm@hushmail.ME
Thanks in advance Christine.
(In general)
You obviously see the cliffs,
You don’t become a Scientologist without a groundbreaking, lifechanging WIN, followed by a gratifying feeling towards LRH. You know, HE really got it/ME!
But that’s not the same as LRH is “god all mighty”, it’s simply denotes that source is all abundant and LRH is a “link in chain” of an all compassing wisdom. He codified the “LRH-brand” with great insight in a newer before seen manner, yet with a important reservation, it is a “reminder that you already knew”.
ML/A
Me too please!! a.dephillips@comcast.net
Link in a chain of course.
“The Creed is the real operation.” Hear, hear!
Fred, I agree with Marty – your post is brilliant. It is one I will be saving and sharing with several friends. Thank you!
I have long asserted our problems as a family began with changing the purpose. From “clearing the planet” to “getting ethics in on the planet”.
It occurred to me yesterday I was wrong. When everyone was just interested in clearing themselves and friends things were going along very nicely. Imagine if the Catholics had the purpose that the entire planet be converted to Catholics. If the Muslims had the purpose for the planet to become Muslim? You would feel a bit put off, as if you were not being granted beingness. Of course, clearing the planet meant everyone needed to speed things up considerably and then stat push became a life and death matter. Of course, who would bother to learn from any other teacher any other lessons if the purpose it to turn the planet into a Scientology planet? Then you see the way some clears behave, with out any regard to the ten commandments, and you realize an education is senior to a case state. You see someone like Anthony Robbins get out there and blow case on an entire auditorium, and you see the value in a person’s vision and purpose, not a case state or a certificate. The first message I read from the Church of Scientology was the day I walked in and saw the huge poster in reception of a planet, underneath was written, “We Want To Make One Thing Perfectly Clear”. So it has been a long walk since I have been able to distance myself from this group purpose. But I have come to the point of knowing the state of clear can not always be purchased. Sure I have seen people come in and pay to go clear. I did it myself. But without enough vision and understanding of conditions, with integrity, one can not remain a clear. It is not something that can be sold. That in itself breaks apart my entire foundation for holding the third dynamic purposes built around that enlightenment , apart like another reactive mind. People blame it on Hubbard and blame it on the tech. A person can go clear and remain clear. It depends on their knowledge, vision, choices and character. Even moods. But clear is not something that can be purchased.
All other props, policies, terminals, divisions, justice etc were built up to prop up the original claim that clear could be purchased. I have come to the point where I think keeping together within secret societies would have been a more workable approach. I have lost my interest in “clearing the planet”. And Frankly, I do not care if everyone goes clear. I have known enough “clears” to know that if the entire did go clear, we still would not have any guarantees to survival. Clears can be overwhelmed and manipulated and degraded. And as fast as you can make a clear, someone can come along and unmake one. Then the entire technology gets declared unworkable. The hidden standards around a clear are not easy to live with or live up to. Just look at the clears that continued to run engrams after they went clear just because someone asked them to. I still can’t figure that out. I didn’t even attest to clear when I went clear and spent MONTHS trying to find one engram. There was nothing there to run. I did get to do all kinds of interesting rundowns though to find out why I was an “occluded case” all of a sudden. When I finally did crash, about seven years later, I decided I wasn’t clear. All I had to do was read the OT3 materials to key it all out. The point is, Scientology is not the ticket for everybody. And we have been taught to believe it is. I have come to the point where I don’t care who is clear and who is not. And I have come to the point where it is not the top priority for me. It is not ones beliefs that matter, it is one’s behavior. This involved being able to view life from many different angles, cultures, friends and teachers. That is why we live, to view. To view life through other people’s eyes is an adventure. If you are prevented from doing that you are in a prison. I do not care anymore to convince others the rightness of Scientology. Or the work ability. I have known too many people involved in this subject that do not belong in it. Frankly, when someone says it has not worked for them and they want a refund, if it had been handled properly as an origination, and the refund given with good ARC, and they were HEARD and UNDERSTOOD, we would not be a midst all of this conflict as we are. I further do not need the people it has not panned out for, declaring me as brainwashed. This attitude is just as fixed as the non comprehension on Scientologists part, to insist that clear and OT can be bought for a cash dollar amount. It can not. For me, this has been the basic truth I have come to. And the false data I had to remove from my space. Religion, education and spiritual awareness is a personal thing. Seventh and Eighth dynamic are created just like the first and second. Or not. Hubbard had knowledge for sale. Others do as well. I do not shop at only food market, seclude myself to only one culture or race or neighborhood. If others do and I know they do, that is by choice. But for sure, those people do not have “to know”, as a purpose. And therefore are misplaced in Scientology.
OM: Is there any possibility that you might double space between paragraphs so that one huge chunk of print didn’t come through?
It is possible that your computer program doesn’t translate well to this blog format …
In which case, you might just want to type a reply – adding spaces between paragraphs.
I tend to be unable to read a big block of print without any spacing which is a shame as I do know you have some terrific insights to share.
Thanks.
Yay. Thanks for saying that. I couldn’t agree with you more. I have been teaching and training business people and that’s what I have been telling them for over 7 years. I don’t believe int “having a mentor” like so many people do. I believe in having a dozen of them. “Following” a person and making him your only source of wisdom is the exact recipe for selective blindness. In my industry, everyone wants to be “a guru” and be followed (because, of course, that is profitable). I tell people NOT to “follow me” but learn what they can from me and go learn from others as well so they can build up their own understanding.
LRH advocated the multiple viewpoint system to look into and understand a situation for what it really is, as opposed to “reliable sources”. Why wouldn’t that apply to understanding life? Whatever the subject may be, to learn about it is a process of observation of problems and possible solutions and a bunch of other components, and none of these benefit from the nomination of a single source of “the truth”.
I think this contradiction has to do with the law of the stable datum. If you don’t have the time/resources/willingness, etc. to inspect every part of a problem and a solution yourself, personally, the second best thing is to have some stable data form someone else who did it.
LRH spent a lifetime creating a system that works. Most of us won’t spend a fraction of that time dealing with the subject, but we still want to understand, and have answers. I believe LRH had to make himself a stable datum to protect what he created and give others a chance to get to achieve a better life without having to walk all of the same road, which would mean you would have to spend a lifetime yourself to arrive where he was at. That’s what he is saying in KSW – what he created is not a perfect system but a workable one.
You have to study anything with a purpose. Want to achieve a result LRH describes without having to learn all about why and how it works? Use his system. Want to go deeper and really understand how he did it, why it works, or even how life works? Do or do not follow his system, as you wish, but study his contribution to philosophy, study his methods, results, etc. and draw your own conclusions. That doesn’t exclude gathering info from as many other sources as you want.
So I see both arguments as valid – if you want to be a good Scientologist, that’s what you gonna be, but you will probably make a terrible student of philosophy or life. If you want the results and don’t care about how or why it works, follow the system. If you want to understand, go deeper and do your own research, just like you study any other subject – do you believe you will be a good sound engineer or anything, if you only ever study one person’s work on the subject and refuse to learn form anyone else? I doubt it.
So these are two different approaches and either one achieves something else. Many people just want to go Clear or OT. They don’t need other sources. Marty goes beyond that – he wants to understand and improve life (and I’m with him on that – I have the same goal). That is a prize you don’t get by following slavishly in someone else’s footsteps.
I’m not familiar with the reference. Can you elaborate?
Sorry — I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I don’t have a foolscap printer and therefore cannot scan the policy for you. So, if you want it – send me at your address where you get snail mail. I won’t share it. But if you are uncomfortable with that – I can understand. Sorry then.
Tony — see my response to SKM. Please send your address to my hush mail account and when I’m next in town – (Monday) I’ll copy the 15 pages and send it off to you.
windhorse11@hushmail.com
“In my opinion, far too many “scientologists” think the Creed is just a shore story to cover the real operation. In my opinion, the Creed is the real operation.”
Brilliantly put, Les.
Similarly, some, like Larry Brennen, think the organizational structure LRH set up in 1982 – the three organizations (CST, RTC, and CSI) – was just a deception, too (“religious cloaking” to quote Brennen).
What Brennen and others may not understand is that whether or not the Creed was a “shore story,” and whether or not the 1982 corporate sort out was a “trick,” is not really relevant. The Creed is the Creed.
Similarly, the 1982 restructure and LRH’s will and the Articles of CST say what they say and they say that the Tyrant (DM) is wrong and a usurper:
– One-man-rule was to end upon LRH’s death and, legally, it did end. And, -Scientology was to be (and legally is supposed to be) overseen by seven boards. DM has no actual power.
Accordingly, the Tyrant rules solely by “control by domination and nullification.” Legally, he has no proprietary rights. Some say, “Well, those are just the legalities.” It is the other way around. Long term, the legalities are all that matter, all else (e.g., the Tyrant’s illegitimate rule) is transient.
I believe the above data is greatly under appreciated. LRH’s will and his express statement in the Articles of CST as to one-man-rule to end on his death is, in my opinion, THE greatest weapon to be used against the Tyrant, long term.
What LRH intended, vs. what the Tyrant did instead, is the Tyrant’s HUGE overt and withhold. It is his legal and spiritual Achilles heel. Because it UNDERMINES and DEVASTATES his claim to legitimacy.
Why is that important? All repressive regimes MUST have a claim to legitimacy, to maintain control, or else they fall with time. They can’t survive on pure oppression (examples, Soviet Union, Kaddfi, etc.)
Getting the word out as to what the Tyrant did instead of following what LRH wrote, exposes his illegitimacy and his direct counter-action to LRH intention.
Yes, letting Scientologists and others know of his violence, etc. is important and should be done, as Marty and others have done so well. But, it can be dismissed by some true believers: “Oh, DM just cares a lot, and lost his temper.”
Letting others know that his rule is directly counter to express LRH intent, which he knowingly and overtly undermined, is another thing, striking at the heart of his claim to power and showing him to be anti-LRH.
My 2 cents.
Fred
I’ve heard it said that on great teams in sports the great players have to be the hardest workers. They set the tone for the team. I coached sports for years and I can tell you that when a great player wants to be coached and learn you really have something. Ray Lewis’s approach to football should be an inspiration to everyone. I’ve never really admired Ray Lewis because I’ve always thought he was too angry. I have to say that this new information will get me to take another look at him.
A major purpose of Scn is to enable an individual to look.
Thanks. Short on time. Haste makes waste even as I protest about it.
Ray Lewis, was responsible for this murder situation in 2000, he was there and he sold out, under pressure from the Feds. Sorry Christ is not the solution this time.
Globetrotter writes….”To understand and improve life …….. That is a prize you don’t get by following slavishly in someone else’s footsteps.” I’m with you on this. While I have had a “mega teacher”, whom I have followed for years, I have had many “occasional” teachers. By that I mean exceptional beings who have taught me very deep lessons about life, sometimes without them even knowing it. But for these learning’s to happen, I had to be out there, be open to meet these people, to learn from them, to listen to them.
I remember one night in Calcutta in the 80s, at a religious event, I met this simple man who had come on the back of a truck from Kathmandu, to be at an event with his master. He was obviously very poor. He had holes in his soles, many teeth missing in his mouth, glasses that did not fit on his nose. We talked about his life. He worked as a janitor at the British embassy in Kathmandu. With his meager pay, he told me, supported 18 people, members of his extended family. He said he was grateful for what he had been given, that he felt had the best life, that all his dreams had been fulfilled. I remember feeling so humbled, so touched, I wanted to cry. I wished I would have felt about life the way he did but was unable to. He was my master that evening.. To this day I remember him. I never saw him after that, but he is one of the many remarkable “occasional teachers” I have met in this life. Being cloistered in the confines of one religion can sometimes cut you from the opportunity to be taught unforgettable lessons by people like him.
There are so many great souls out there, so many beautiful human beings out there if you care to look for them. Some may present themselves as a teacher, some may just say they are just a student. While religions can be of great help, for those who give themselves permission a time comes when they hear a voice calling to continue on the journey of self-discovery. From my experience, nothing is as gratifying as responding to a higher calling. Thank you for all the really interesting comments.
I was told of this policy too. Could I also get a copy?
nomoresilent@hushmail.com
Fascinating.
Thank you Les. You made me cry. I could add stories of people I have met outside of Scientology who have listed my life in every way. They are thetans too. They were all better than I am in many ways, and always will be.
Hi Marty,
This is a bit off topic, but I have watched this docu about Thomas Jefferson a couple of times. For some reason, I keep thinking I should recommend it to you, so I will! 🙂
If you haven’t seen it, I think you will very much enjoy it. Jefferson had his own way of slaying “sacred cows” and finding wisdom in many places. This docu focuses on his journey in that regard.
It’s called “Jefferson’s Secret Bible”, and was produced by the Smithsonian. I found it fascinating, and highly recommend it:
Hope you enjoy it, as I enjoyed this post.
— CV
Thanks for your kind words, Publius.
And yours, also, Marty . . . yes, we will chat.
I have enjoyed dropping in. Thanks for your hospitality.
As always, I will follow your blog and good work, but it may be a while before I post again. Know I am with you.
Fred
I agree with you, Publius. I had a similar experience as yours in the early 70s and was fortunate enough to get a lot of tech and admin training right up front, including the PRD and a Data Series course and internship for more extensive than the Exec Data Series course of today (you needed to get 3 Evals through AVC, program implemented AND a turnaround of the scene before you could pass). As a result, I fully understood the subject and could spot out-points at a dead run, which inoculated me against groupthink and anything that wasn’t true for me – from whatever source. This opened up the whole universe of thought for my inspection and personal evaluation, significantly broadening my horizontal growth. This saved my ass from entrapment by the not quite bright on numerous occasions. Therefore, I can fully appreciate that without being able to spot out-points and plus-points, one could accept data unevaluated at face value, or wrong indications, and thereby get sucked into the stultifying, insular, synthetic group valence that progressively gained prominence in later years.
To me, this makes Marty’s, Steve Hall’s and that of other Indies with respect to the current situation all the more vital and necessary.
Chris, I think you hit on a fundamental difference in experiences here. I’m sure the Sea Org experience was a completely different kettle of fish – one that never interested me much due to the fact that on its face it appeared to be contrary to basic concepts of individuality, personal freedom, autonomy, and freedom of thought and expression. I believe introduction of a military culture – an earlier practice – into Scientology was THE systemic fundamental flaw that gave rise to the current situation, and subsequent events support that conclusion. What do the public and S.O. veterans not like about Scientology? It’s all related to Sea Org excesses.
Brilliant. Hear, hear.
Here it can be viewed a Floating TA just after a solo session.
Enjoy
Heather I cannot scan this as I don’t have a foolscap/legal sized printer. Please email me at windhorse11@hushmail.com with your snail mail address. I will make copies tomorrow and send them out.
This ‘site’ Marty’s place is to heal.
Marty has no other intentions.
Thank you Marty & Mosey for that.
Cece
Thanks for pointing out the similarity: “It really is sort of like how the Nazi’s lessened the value of the Jews by demeaning them.”
Whether we want to postulate our connection as spiritual or human, we destroy our own humanness and our own spiritual nature when we denigrate the humanness or spirituality of others.
Permit me to wax “mystical.” I once briefly experienced, with complete certainty of its truth, that there is a “place” (it is not a place at all in the normal sense of that word) where every single one of us can connect — since in fact we already are connected — not in any sense of being “one,” but just connected. In Scientological terms, one might say this is the “static” or theta, or the life force.
Disconnection as a policy therefore, IMO, denies a basic truth of the universe and life and consciousness. Disparagement, disconnection, exclusion, or denigration of others has precisely the impact on ourselves of leading to our own disparagement, disconnection, exclusion, and denigration of self.
In Scientology terms, I would put it like this. When you have a loss of say a loved one, that connection that once existed is experiences as a “secondary” (basically a moment of loss) and one way to describe it is that the “energy flow” that once connected you with that person seems to have nowhere to go, and it “snaps back” on you, and it is painful as hell. You reflexively start “mocking up” what you have lost to try to recreate — you see his or her face in a crowd, hear the voice, start to make a phone call to no one who is any longer there, and so forth. In a way, this is like what Tibetan Buddhists call the “body of thought propensity” where we construct from thought what we have habitually relied on as real (and at risk of sounding too “out there” I can say I have directly experienced / “have reality on” what that “body of thought propensity” means).
What CoS has done by excluding others is simply created a huge and false (and therefore persistent) secondary for itself on the 3rd dynamic (groups). Having withdrawn its “energy” from authentic relationships with non-Scientologists, those energy flows that I believe connect us all snap back on the church and are perceived as an ARC-X (break in affinity, reality, or communication and thus a break in understanding) with the rest of the world. That withdrawal from the rest of the world is not just a secondary, but it is an overt (harmful or contra-survival act) committed by the church. Because it is an overt on the 3rd dynamic (and possibly on the 4th, humankind/one’s own species) it results in the typical karmic cycle of criticism of that which is being harmed (other groups and all humans), with that criticism leading to justifications for further overts, and pulling in (gravitating toward or drawing in) justifications for those continuing overts (motivators, in Scientology terms).
So, intriguingly, Scientology carries within itself its own tools for rectification and for becoming a truly positive force on all dynamics (urges to survive). It needs to become completely honest. It needs to take responsibility for past harmful actions. It needs to let others “be right” and not have the compulsion to make others wrong through.
In the end, if Scientology applies what is good and right in Scientology and recognizes with humor and humility what has gone off the rails, it will boom and survive.
Otherwise it will continue to rank lower in numbers than the Druids and Jedi Knights.
After having seen Jenna Miscavige Hill in 2 interviews (thanks
Karen for posting these) and again being reinforced in the
knowledge of the complete unknowness of the outside world
the SO children were brought up in, it is interesting to fit that into
what LRH said about the TR’s, how you are supposed to be
able to talk to an average guy down on the street corner in a
natural way. To do that you got to have an understanding of
the person and to a degree the subject at hand. Same with a
psych or a mathematician or whoever. That includes being
humble which is one hallmark of a human relation if you want it
to survive (IMHO, as you say here).
Ray Lewis seems to be a guy you would like to meet and talk
to down on the street corner. Oh, and yes, I have learned a lot
about American football since out of the church despite being
a Swede. However it would have been more fun if the 49ers won!
PS and back to that specific comment of “It really is sort of like how the Nazi’s lessened the value of the Jews by demeaning them.”
Absolutely. When the Nazis denied the humanity of others they made themselves inhuman.
Great point. To me, that means when learning Scientology, learn Scientology and apply it as written. This is true of any subject – learn from the masters, and apply it as the masters applied it, and get great at it, and then you have the right to extend it. And you can extend it within the practice, or it may be that your travels have take you to where you have to extend it out of the practice into a new practice. To my mind, you have to be pretty freaking good to do the latter successfully.
Jesus did that with Judaism. One thing the study of the Bible has taught me is that Jesus was a very, very learned man, who knew his Bible cold. He wasn’t just some inspired baby. Paul was too – he was religious prosecutor until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Joseph Smith knew his Bible as well, and despite what opinions people may have about the Book of Mormon, it was not just the rantings of a crazy man.
Reading your post, I had the vision of someone holding the cans while doing Yoga poses – and the “auditor” steering him to the perfect Downward Dog. Not really a practice that makes sense, no? 😉
I have never been a member or associated with COS, I just finished ‘Going Clear’ by Lawrence Wright and loved it. I pulled notable names from the book and was lucky enough to find your site. You and others are doing such good work. I write this as someone who simply does not like to see people taken advantage of, manipulated, abused, etc…My question is what can people like me with no history with COS do to help combat what is currently going on? Thanks again, impressive and important work.
Regards,
Kevin
I really, really, really hate the term “get Ethics in on…” whomever. “I’m going to get your ethics in!” “Get ethics in on the planet!”. What the cuss! Whose ethics? People who say that are talking about morals not ethics, and further, morals that they feel are “right”. In other words, people who say that are self-righteous bores.
This reminds me of a time when the MAA of ASHO had me clear “Cavalier” as in “Cavalier Attitude”. I looked at it and went “That’s right. So?”
This is a great observation.
Mark
Point being, the notion of supreme beings exists in other camps.
ML/A
Thanks! I did!
“in the spring there is growth..”
🙂 and I realize the subject is tricky business.
ML/A
One of the hallmarks of the not-quite-bright in the SO or Scientology generally is that they tend to (knowingly or unknowingly) dramatize earlier practices, “thinking” they are applying Scientology when really they are applying something off the track.
Nowhere is this more true than in the area of Ethics application.
Anybody remember Cosima, the Italian MAA at Flag? I’m telling you, whenever I had the misfortune to sit in front of her, it was the Grand Inquisitor I was facing, straight out of 1492.
I remember one time when some overt of mine prompted this response from her: “Don’t do that again or I’ll cut off your head”.
I have no doubt that, had we been having that “discussion” in 1492, the sentence would have been carried out.
Chocolate Velvet: I enjoyed the film about Jefferson. Here is a short letter he wrote: The tree of liberty… (Quotation)
“I do not know whether it is to yourself or Mr. Adams I am to give my thanks for the copy of the new constitution. I beg leave through you to place them where due. It will be yet three weeks before I shall receive them from America. There are very good articles in it: and very bad. I do not know which preponderate. What we have lately read in the history of Holland, in the chapter on the Stadtholder, would have sufficed to set me against a Chief magistrate eligible for a long duration, if I had ever been disposed towards one: and what we have always read of the elections of Polish kings should have forever excluded the idea of one continuable for life. Wonderful is the effect of impudent and persevering lying. The British ministry have so long hired their gazetteers to repeat and model into every form lies about our being in anarchy, that the world has at length believed them, the English nation has believed them, the ministers themselves have come to believe them, and what is more wonderful, we have believed them ourselves. Yet where does this anarchy exist? Where did it ever exist, except in the single instance of Massachusets? And can history produce an instance of a rebellion so honourably conducted? I say nothing of it’s motives. They were founded in ignorance, not wickedness. God forbid we should ever be 20. years without such a rebellion.[1] The people can not be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. We have had 13. states independant 11. years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half for each state. What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure. Our Convention has been too much impressed by the insurrection of Massachusets: and in the spur of the moment they are setting up a kite to keep the hen yard in order. I hope in god this article will be rectified before the new constitution is accepted.” – Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, Paris, 13 Nov. 1787[2]
Two parts of it make me think that Jefferson would not like the CO$:
“Wonderful is the effect of impudent and persevering lying.”
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”
Love ya Tony. ‘There will be growth in the Spring.’
@Larry,
Actually, for the record, I am quite educated academically as well as Scientologically. Students, from k- College level, professors, and even scientists are not often endowed with creative, out of the box thinking. Academic systems, as well as fine and dramatic arts, are only set up for learning what has already been said and done. This is evidently your concept of ‘knowing how to know”, which has little to do with the level of knowledge of which I speak. You are talking about knowledge obtained in in the way my friend, who has a degree in physics, learned his profession. In college he was asked to regurgitate and duplicate ‘experiements’ that were already done by someone else. They were only being tested on their ability to follow directions. That took the ability to access prior knowledge and it took the ability to apply math and science, but as he stated, it did not require one ounce of original thinking or problem solving. Taking anything beyond the point of current agreement within a subject is unusual, to say the least. Thinking outside the box is not common and those who do are highly visible as demonstrated by their contributions to humankind. Therefore, the acquisition of knowledge is more than just knowing how to research at the library or on the internet. That is only a learned skill, and that ‘ain’t the kind of knowledge to which I am referring.
Also, don’t be such a sarcastic ass hole.
Publius, well stated. I am of the opinion that there was a lot of people who were truly, actively looking for enlightenment during the time when you got into Scientology. It was not an accident. Like you, I read and read and had wins. I was aware, BUT, I discovered what case was all about. It wasn’t real to me until I started on the Scientology path of training and auditing. So I agree, there are many ways to become aware and expand ones view and sprout ideas. Nothing else I have run into can handle an ARCX or evil intensions.
Publius, are you from SFO??
One for one, the people that have claimed “I am going to put ethics in……..(on the Freezone, some terminal in the Freezone, the Independent movement..) have been totally out ethics themselves.
Interesting notes by John McMasters:
http://www.ivymag.org/cyberivy/PtsJohn.htm
EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING should be your teachers. Everyone and everything has something to teach, whether it’s what to do or what not to do.
“Seek not follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek instead what they sought.” — Matsuo Basho, 17th century Japanese poet
Good catch Marty…
That was choice Les.
Great post Mark.
I love that quote and it’s very real to me. Conversely, I would say that Each person should also know that they are superior (has something they can helpsomeone else with) to another in some way. What I mean by this is that I used to think that if someone was “famous” or something, that they were “better than me”. That thought is actually poor differentiation. They may be a better actor or something than me. But each person has the right to converse and give their ideas to others and in some way has value to pass on to them. (at least in most cases )
Ahhh. I personally believe that all beings are capable of growth, and there are no limits. I refuse to believe that person A can only go to size X and no further, and that the potential is different for each person. There are no “Big Beings” that are naturally superior to “Minute Beings,” and “Minute Beings” are not shackled to their minuteness.
Now, I know that LRH had the equation PV=IDx. LRH mentioned that some people had more dynamic than others – but people are also more intelligent than others, and we can increase intelligence. Why not dynamic?
In fact, I have seen people get more active and dynamic with Scientology, so it is not a value that is fixed.
I can relate my own situation with Dynamic. Some people MUST CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN. Or they MUST CLOSE THE DEAL OR DIE TRYING. They cannot take no for an answer, and they start their days running, and never stop. Okay, so guys like this are dynamic and active and all that. I choose not to be that way – does that make me less alive? No. Also, where I do expend that kind of energy is in detail creation of business processes, supporting automation, system interactions, ensuring all pieces fit and flow, etc., things that make these so-called Dynamic types crazy and impatient, because detail “slows them down.” So, it is a different kind of dynamic.
(This, by the way, is one reason I like the Myers/Briggs personality assessment, because it captures preference for how to work and live. Some people like being with lots of people, interacting with crowds. Some don’t. Some people like detail, some prefer the “big picture.” Some people think through things and put lesser value on how people feel about them, others think about the people ramifications of decisions and take them into account rather than rely on pure “logic.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator )
To me, the Myers-Briggs information complements Scientology and is incredibly useful – and is a great example of learning from many masters.
But, there are not inherently better beings vs. inferior beings.
Thanks for this post, Marty. I was one of those who had a thoroughly negative impression of Ray Lewis without really knowing anything about him. It is good to have that dispelled. It sounds like he has worked hard to make amends for whatever wrong he may have done earlier in his life.
Bravo!
chrismann9c – ditto for me. That cog came some time back when I realized it was my own responsibility and mine alone…and today I walk the path free.