Gadfly
Crusader
I have been meaning to go through, and re-read some of the basic Scientology books. Why? For a few reasons. First, to simply read, "study", and EVALUATE what I read, line by line, as I read it, in present time. Second, to notice what I may have misread, read into, and inferred when I first contacted the subject originally. Third, to notice what aspects I still agree with on some level, and why this is (for each specific case).
I read the ethics books, quickly, this morning. I may start a few threads about that.
But here is an interesting LRH quote from the Glossary:
The Eighth Dynamic is the urge toward survival through a Supreme Being, or more exactly, Infinity. This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
Do you see the totally absurd "logic" here? First, Hubbard in other places makes it VERY clear that the whole breaking up of "life" into the various dynamics was ENTIRELY ARBITRARY, and was done as a convenient way to more easily examine and discuss "major divisions of life" - the individual, the family, groups, mankind, etc. THAT aspect makes some sense, and has had some usefulness for me.
But this line is just so amazingly DUMB:
This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
What? Does ANY reader actually find anything meaningful in that statement? Well, there really can't be anymore dynamics past "infinity" or "God". So, it has to STOP at "8", as defined by Hubbard. But, to say that it is called the "8th Dynamic" BECAUSE flipping the infinity symbol "forms an eight", is just so amazingly stupid as a concept. Who actually THINKS with such nonsense? How do YOU, the reader, find ANY value or legitimacy in such a statement? Remember, this dynamic is the "God" dynamic. It has some or much meaning for many people, from their own perspectives about the concept of "God" or "Infinity", whether they are familar with Hubbard's definitions or not.
I remember when I first read that, commenting to myself how intensely DROLL the statement was. Hubbard so often simply made statements, and even linked unrelated assertions together, statements which the uncritical reader simply ACCEPTS. Hubbard stated somewhere as an observation that many people have a tendency to accept things just because it is in print, or stated. He was RIGHT! And, Scientologists often do exactly the same with LRH's writings and claims.
Really, be honest, does or can anyone find any meaning, of any significance, in this amazingly absurd sentence:
This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
What sort of crazy ideas must any person read into THAT to have it possess any meaning of any substance or value? What? The number "8" is somehow intrinsically tied into the very fabric of the universe, on some mystical level, due to some subtle universal link between the infinity symbol ("8" flipped 90 degrees in either direction) and the number "8"?
Well , let's see? The number "7", rotated 90 degrees to the left, is similar to an Egyptian hieroglyph for "air". So, following some strange stream of logic, "air" correlates to "spirit", and thus this Egyptian hieroglyph flipped up makes the number "7"?
Sometimes I get the notion that Hubbard intentionally included extremely ABUSRD ideas into his writings, as a test, to see just what people would accept, without any thought, critical thinking, or analysis, when delivered in a typical "NLP" (neuro-linguistic programming") sort of way.
I may start threads every time I find such a similar example of an assertion made by Hubbard, that is just so ABSURD, just so dumb, and which for whatever reason gets missed by most people who "study" such nonsense.
How can the above possibly make any "sense"? It can't! Of course, as Hubbard also correctly pointed out, thetans can make sense of anything, and do, every second of any day. Creating SIGNIFICANCE is one of the many things thetans do. They MOCK UP and CREATE "meaning". But, as Hubbard obviously knew, all "meaning" is relative, and often quite arbitrary. It seems, part of his "operation" was simply to toss out assertions, since so many people seem to willingly accept just about anything suggested to them with authority. How can ANY even slightly intelligent human being read the above sentence and NOT wonder, "what bullshit is THIS"? The answer to this question can be enlightening.
Most people read meaning into material where NONE actually exists. People create and co-create their own "meaning". Most people are entirely unaware of the fact that they do it, chronically, and in what ways they do it. It would behoove any person to exert a little self-examination in this regard. Few do. But then, there are few books or essays even written on such a topic!
I know that there are MANY more similar statements by Hubbard, where he just tosses out some assertion, claim or statement, that links little to anything, not in a "logical sense", and also often not linked to any possible observations that would or could support what he spits out. He VERY OFTEN speaks at very high levels of abstraction (generalities), which pretend to encompass large numbers of "examples", but he NEVER supplies ANY examples to support his assertion/claim/statement. Read KSW in a new unit of time, with THAT view. It is rife with such utterances!
Other examples? There are MANY! One simply need only open his or her eyes ,and notice the obvious in this regard.
I read the ethics books, quickly, this morning. I may start a few threads about that.
But here is an interesting LRH quote from the Glossary:
The Eighth Dynamic is the urge toward survival through a Supreme Being, or more exactly, Infinity. This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
Do you see the totally absurd "logic" here? First, Hubbard in other places makes it VERY clear that the whole breaking up of "life" into the various dynamics was ENTIRELY ARBITRARY, and was done as a convenient way to more easily examine and discuss "major divisions of life" - the individual, the family, groups, mankind, etc. THAT aspect makes some sense, and has had some usefulness for me.
But this line is just so amazingly DUMB:
This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
What? Does ANY reader actually find anything meaningful in that statement? Well, there really can't be anymore dynamics past "infinity" or "God". So, it has to STOP at "8", as defined by Hubbard. But, to say that it is called the "8th Dynamic" BECAUSE flipping the infinity symbol "forms an eight", is just so amazingly stupid as a concept. Who actually THINKS with such nonsense? How do YOU, the reader, find ANY value or legitimacy in such a statement? Remember, this dynamic is the "God" dynamic. It has some or much meaning for many people, from their own perspectives about the concept of "God" or "Infinity", whether they are familar with Hubbard's definitions or not.
I remember when I first read that, commenting to myself how intensely DROLL the statement was. Hubbard so often simply made statements, and even linked unrelated assertions together, statements which the uncritical reader simply ACCEPTS. Hubbard stated somewhere as an observation that many people have a tendency to accept things just because it is in print, or stated. He was RIGHT! And, Scientologists often do exactly the same with LRH's writings and claims.
Really, be honest, does or can anyone find any meaning, of any significance, in this amazingly absurd sentence:
This is called the Eighth Dynamic because the symbol of Infinity stood upright makes the numeral"8".
What sort of crazy ideas must any person read into THAT to have it possess any meaning of any substance or value? What? The number "8" is somehow intrinsically tied into the very fabric of the universe, on some mystical level, due to some subtle universal link between the infinity symbol ("8" flipped 90 degrees in either direction) and the number "8"?
Well , let's see? The number "7", rotated 90 degrees to the left, is similar to an Egyptian hieroglyph for "air". So, following some strange stream of logic, "air" correlates to "spirit", and thus this Egyptian hieroglyph flipped up makes the number "7"?
Sometimes I get the notion that Hubbard intentionally included extremely ABUSRD ideas into his writings, as a test, to see just what people would accept, without any thought, critical thinking, or analysis, when delivered in a typical "NLP" (neuro-linguistic programming") sort of way.
I may start threads every time I find such a similar example of an assertion made by Hubbard, that is just so ABSURD, just so dumb, and which for whatever reason gets missed by most people who "study" such nonsense.
How can the above possibly make any "sense"? It can't! Of course, as Hubbard also correctly pointed out, thetans can make sense of anything, and do, every second of any day. Creating SIGNIFICANCE is one of the many things thetans do. They MOCK UP and CREATE "meaning". But, as Hubbard obviously knew, all "meaning" is relative, and often quite arbitrary. It seems, part of his "operation" was simply to toss out assertions, since so many people seem to willingly accept just about anything suggested to them with authority. How can ANY even slightly intelligent human being read the above sentence and NOT wonder, "what bullshit is THIS"? The answer to this question can be enlightening.
Most people read meaning into material where NONE actually exists. People create and co-create their own "meaning". Most people are entirely unaware of the fact that they do it, chronically, and in what ways they do it. It would behoove any person to exert a little self-examination in this regard. Few do. But then, there are few books or essays even written on such a topic!
I know that there are MANY more similar statements by Hubbard, where he just tosses out some assertion, claim or statement, that links little to anything, not in a "logical sense", and also often not linked to any possible observations that would or could support what he spits out. He VERY OFTEN speaks at very high levels of abstraction (generalities), which pretend to encompass large numbers of "examples", but he NEVER supplies ANY examples to support his assertion/claim/statement. Read KSW in a new unit of time, with THAT view. It is rife with such utterances!
Other examples? There are MANY! One simply need only open his or her eyes ,and notice the obvious in this regard.
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