Gadfly, The question being addressed here is one of those complex questions which nearly every person asks himself or herself when leaving Scientology. The question seems to perpetuate heated arguments between people in various camps and these arguments seem to go on endlesly, with no resolution or general consensus answers ever seeming to appear on the horizon. I believe that you did a very good job of condensing a lot of ideas down into a reasonably sized post and that you have succeded in answering this complex question!
Thank-you.
The ability to differentiate well seems to be relatively scarce within humanity. Because of this, it is very likely that your post will not change many minds or cause those with other viewpoints to modify them. Nevertheless, there is an intellectual satisfaction in putting together an answer as you have done and people, such as me, who read this and agree with you do get something out of your post and a few others may have a realization and agree with something you say and modify their viewpoints. Therefore, I think that the time which you spent writing your post is time very well spent.
Yes, I agree, few people truly understand what Hubbard and Korzybski meant by the terms identification and differentiation. That is true for everbody, spanning the landscape from total "wog" to total devoted C of S Church member. It always amazed me how few Scientologists ever took the time to study and understand the Data Series (though granted it is FLAWED in certain regards, as also is the original subject of General Semantics). And almost NO Scientologist ever bothers to honestly and carefully apply the data to and at the subject of Scientology, the Church, LRH and current management.
Few people have actually taken any time at all analyzing his or her own "concept-making" mental machinery. Just as there is no such thing as a "tree", as an idea, separate from an actual specific isolated individual REAL tree, so also, there is no "Scientologist", as an idea, separate from an actual specific isolated individual REAL Scientologist. Hubbard defines the term in various places, but the acceptance of THAT meaning to any person is his or her choice. All MEANING is entirely in the mind of some person, no "meaning" exists "out there" anywhere, and the same is true for this talk about "Scientologist". In truth, there are as many different meanings for the word Scientologist as there are people who identify his or herself with the label.
Scientology = The Church of Scientology ONLY to some people (in their minds)
Scientology = The data of LRH ONLY to some people (in their minds)
It is a stupid discussion to argue abut such nonsense. But then, humans have a high proclivity to argue inanities, and to argue them endlessly.
One other point and one question. My wife went to law school in the early 1990's and is now a lawyer. Law school does teach one the ability to differentiate; they call it developing one's critical thinking skills. There is definitely some valid "tech" taught on how a person can improve this ability. In any brilliant legal argument or summation, I have noticed that an ability to differentiate specifics out of generalities is always present.
My question is this, can you conjure up the a solution to the Israeli versus Palestinian situation similar to what you did for the Hubbard and Scientology controversy?
White European "invaders" TOOK the land from the American Indians. Some people think we should give it back. Others have the opinion that "this was a long time ago, and things have long since evolved, so forget about it". Right? Wrong? My observation is that people are chronically assholes. Human beings use FORCE over and over and over to get what they want in alignment with some set of beliefs, ideals or goals. It never stops. The real solution?
Unconditional Love. See every other human being as YOURSELF, in all cases, at all times, no matter what, and NEVER allow yourself to find an excuse to harm another human being for ANY reason (other than pure physical self-defense). In SCN, per LRH, in the Code of Honour, it states something like, "never fear to harm another in a just cause". THAT is the opposite of what I just described. This notions of harming another in a "just cause" involves insane logic that tolerates and encourages HARM - with it very well justified and excused. Unconditional Love cannoit exist within such a framework - and by observing the ACTIONS of various aspects of SCN, it obviously does NOT. The history of the human race, from one perspective, is an endless and relentless march of JUSTIFIED VIOLENCE towards others. It saddens me. Where does this come from? Primarily from "ego" and the notion of individuality as a SURVIVING "form".
All aberration, violence, and harm to others stems from the need, desire or urge to SURVIVE as something. The DYNAMICS, as defined by LRH, ARE THE PROBLEM. The URGES to exist as something in some area of life, ARE the fundamental problem. Scientologists never see or understand this. They view survival and the urge to survive as a "good" thing. It is the ROOT cause of the problem. Take away those URGES to survive (the Dynamics), and ALL harm, violence, hate and conflict disintegrate. A true Bridge to Spiritual Freedom should and would ERASE the Dynamics, NOT prop them up and enable them to "flourish and propser". Hubbard said he solved the problem in DMSMH by citing the basic truth - SURVIVE. Survival, and the attendant "urges" along the Dynamics, ARE the basic cause of all problems and difficulties anywhere at anytime. NOBODY sees THAT aspect of Hubbard's writings!
A TRUE path to freedom MUST erase attachment and desire to the Dynamics. Instead, Hubbard, being the master deceiving and manipulator that he was, pretended to give you a path to freedom, while actually hooking you tighter onto and into the various URGES along the Dynamics. Survive - Survive- Survive. That is ALL the Church and OSA are ever trying to do. It is the REVERSE of legitimate advancement towards "freedom". LRH tells you all about the 180 degree, reverse-vector nature of this universe, and then goes right ahead and applies it to YOU. Bad LRH.
Israel and Palestine? One need only cease viewing the "other" people as anything other than versions of yourself (or family). There is the reactive pattern of love - lose that object of love - and then HATE. It has happened on both sides for many years. Few people are willing to give up his or her "hate". The same with people for and against Scientology.
There is no real solution, or "win", within the realm of surviving as some form or any thing. Of course, THAT is the game being played by 99.99999% of the human population. Identification, as a spiritual being, WITH various forms, ideas, groups, goals and ideals IS the source of the problem. Honestly, within the parameters of the "rules" here on Earth, in this universe, there is NO solution. The GAME itself is grossly flawed. And, if there is anything to Hubbard's data on postulates and the resultant creation of any universe, then this game exists FOR YOU because YOU postulate and agree that it does. I don't think there is any way to "better" and truly "change things" here. The ONLY solution, along a more eastern philosophical approach, is to FREE YOURSELF from the game, by undoing your endless set of agreements and postulates that cause you to remain in this trap, believing yourself to be a body, believing yourself to be associated with all sorts of ideas, other people, groups and goals.
Also, all arguments and conflicts stem from holding onto some aspect of the "past". People keep the "past" alive through very complex "internal spiritual activity". In truth, the past does not exist, except again, in the minds of people. The ONLY thing that actually exists is RIGHT NOW (present time). But, most people hold onto, and actually CREATE a living PAST, by their own mental actions in the area. This is true for negative effects and positive effects on any person due to past "memories".
IF there were no thinking, conscious minds, with the ability to place attention on "the past" (as an idea of sorts), then, there would be nothing other than a constant NOW. The unique, yet arbitrary viewpoint of an isolated entity of consciousness creates the illusion of separateness, and along with this entity's ability to "keep the past alive by placing attention on it, either consciously or unconsciously", all problems follow. Again, there seems to be no solution inside the box. The only solution, as Buddha would probably agree, is to GET OUT OF THE BOX of limiting ideas, concepts, identifications and attachments.
When it comes to "here", you are either IN (entirely IN), or you are OUT (entirely OUT). There is NO halfway point, and a HUGE error of Hubbard was putting forth the idea that you could be some "degree of OT".
APPLYING Uncondtional Love is a start because it goes up against ALL notions of isolated individuality, surviving "against" all else, judgments and conflict.
But to really apply the idea, you would have to apply it to the Church, LRH and DM too! There is no halfway with "unconditional".
As Jesus supposedly said, "God forgive them for they know not what they do". And so went and so goes the totality of human activity spanning an eternity . . . . they know not what they do, when they torture, harm, kill, brutalize, and attack what are actually their own "spiritual brothers"; and the "enlightened one" sees this, knows this and feels nothing but extreme overflowing love to all (no matter whether good or bad as judged from any viewpoint at any time).
Obviously, any truly "enlightened one" has long since lost any interest in any of it, as far as the details of the game or existing reality goes, and if such a one has any concern at all, it is ONLY the aim towards helping the many others still caught in the mess to free him or herself from the mess he or she has allowed oneself to get into (through personal actions of the mind - creating a "past", identification, attachment, etc.).
The subject and application of Scientology does more to trap than to free - for MOST people (not all).