Feeling the bug

[exccc]

Thanks for that, exccc! Do you think Tommy regretted the lies he had to tell and the pressuring of people to disconnect - that sort of thing? Did you ever get a sense that he was conflicted? I guess he could not have confided in his mother either. Still, it sucks to be Tommy, and have your public image so associated with Scientology. I'm glad he's found a job elsewhere, even though it is real estate.

Well, I knew him long before he was a public spokesman and I never knew him well. I just remember he seemed a good guy.

I know he was shrieking at that poor BBC reporter a few years back, but that was what he was expected to do.

Usually, when people like that get out, it seems they don't get completely out right away. It takes time. I'd bet anything he's still onlines, esp if he's as wealthy as everyone seems to think he is. The scios wouldn't be stupid enough to alienate him while he has millions.

Not to mention the policy on ex-SO. That's in the back of everyone's mind for a while...

I heard his wife was sick. If that's the reason they got out of the SO (and that's VERY believable) I'd bet anything they are still onlines.

The fact that they were working 100 hours a week for the church, but the poor girl couldn't get any health coverage hasn't sunk in yet like it should, I bet. As has been said in this thread, the contrary directions of reality/non-reality really mess with a person's head.

 

[In present time]

Hello there! Thanks.

My story has been posted, but in brief, I got in when I was 18. I had a sense at that time that I was doing something weird, but I did it anyway. I was paying public for a few years and did a lot of auditing and study.

By the time I was 20 (and the money had run out), I was full-time staff and an exec and in the SO at 21. Got out completely by 22 and have never been back.

I was onlines at CCNY and then CCInt. I was at CCInt during the renovation of the building.

Being on SO staff was as stunning experience. True, some days I loved it, but mostly it was sad. Everyone main concern was CYA. It's hard to build friendships and have a positive experience in that kind of environment.

Still, I made friends and hope they are all doing well (and OUT). Some others whom I don't remember as fondly, well, I've come to understand they were victims, too and I've forgiven them. I've no doubt that 90 percent of the gung-ho types I knew then are out now. At least. Jeez, even Tommy Davis is out. He was a pretty good guy, actually.

Such wonderful people were "in". Even though I was around long enough to see changes. I remember Kevin, who was treasury for the small mission I was on full time staff in. I saw him change almost overnight, under pressure. He was a lovely guy, but then he was ordered to become "unreasonable". It was sad. and not just a little bit scarey to watch.

And confusing. Like yesterday you were a friend of his, and working like a team... then the next day, you were the enemy, and to catch him trying to blame stolen money from the bookstore on your own bad cursive writing. He then demanded that I should never write in cursive again, but then in the back of your mind you know that has nothing to do with the fact that as the bookstore officer, you realised the mission holder was skimming off the booksales account. (hello dean) I hear you are still alive, chime in anytime.
exccc, just keep chiming in... we are happy to listen and interested.

 

[Lermanet_com]

its funny how the cleared planet was always down the line somewhere, and what one would do to reach that perfect day. the current scns are still feeling that. that much is obvious. i used to always thought stop by thinking how ron said "we build a world with broken straws". we just didnt know we were the straws that had been broken.

I wonder if $cientology really "E X P A N D E D" (sorry, couldn't resist doing that the $cn way) whether eventually their effort to "Clear the planet" would culminate with their willing slaves, being gainfully employed to literally "dispose of quietly and without sorrow" all the "downstats" "those below 2.0 on the tone scale" in the world, in crematoriums employed by The New World Order Eugenics Division, with statistics like "Bodies in the shop" and "Raw Meat"...

Conditioning works wonders...

Note to those not familiar with $cientology: everything in quotes is from $cientology books and policy.

 

[In present time]

Well, I knew him long before he was a public spokesman and I never knew him well. I just remember he seemed a good guy.

I know he was shrieking at that poor BBC reporter a few years back, but that was what he was expected to do.

Usually, when people like that get out, it seems they don't get completely out right away. It takes time. I'd bet anything he's still onlines, esp if he's as wealthy as everyone seems to think he is. The scios wouldn't be stupid enough to alienate him while he has millions.

Not to mention the policy on ex-SO. That's in the back of everyone's mind for a while...

I heard his wife was sick. If that's the reason they got out of the SO (and that's VERY believable) I'd bet anything they are still onlines.

The fact that they were working 100 hours a week for the church, but the poor girl couldn't get any health coverage hasn't sunk in yet like it should, I bet. As has been said in this thread, the contrary directions of reality/non-reality really mess with a person's head.

I have a friend in austin that hangs out with him in PT. I "reported" here that Jessica was never sick. but that has now been confirmed by Tony O.

Tommy and Jessica have cool new friends in Austin now, and he still has plenty of time to get on with his life. I am happy for that. If only all SO had such soft landings.

 

[Gadfly]

Such wonderful people were "in". Even though I was around long enough to see changes. I remember Kevin, who was treasury for the small mission I was on full time staff in. I saw him change almost overnight, under pressure. He was a lovely guy, but then he was ordered to become "unreasonable". It was sad. and not just a little bit scarey to watch.

I sort of just realized why it was that I left the Sea Org so quickly, why I never adopted the term "Scientologist" as an identity, and why I always stayed on the outskirts even when still somewhat involved.

I was NEVER willing to BE what they wanted me to be. I wouldn't accept and wear the identity that was constantly being foisted on me.

I could never behave as some over-enthusiastic over-the-top gung-ho fanatic. I just couldn't do it. It felt dishonest.

When I noticed myself changing, I didn't like it, and I got the hell out and as far away as possible. Even when in the Sea Org, I managed to be AWAY from any SO base most of the time. I was OUT as an advancemen for the Flag World Tour. I was OUT in a Class IV org as a Flag Rep. Or, I was OUT in an org as an FSC for the FSO. I was generally out and away, with NO local senior. So, I could still take time off when I wanted (I always also made sure to ALWAYS have a CAR), I would go to movies, I would read books, I would play music, I would go out to eat at Mexican, Thai and Chinese restaurants, and so forth. When I did finally end up on Flag in the FSO, I found it unbearable, and I left within 8 or 9 months.

I could never BE what they wanted me to be.

And THAT was totally fine with me.

Also, I never had any urge to be a part of any group. From pretty much the first month of involvement, I had the view that the exaggerated emphasis on the third dynamic was nuts. Once I got on staff and then into the Sea Org, that view only grew in strength as I gained more first-hand experience.

 

[Udarnik]

I remember a sign on the crappy door to the ''academy'' saying ''through these portals something something..the most valuable beings in the planet''.

That's a transliteration of the sign that hung on the camp gates to many Army Air Corps and USMC Aviation posts in WWII - "Through These Portals Walk the Hottest Pilots in the World". I have photographs air bases with those signs from both the Pacific and European theaters. I'm sure L. Ron saw those in publications such as "The Stars and Stripes".

This hits someting that struck me as an outsider with a taste for history - reading Hubbard's stuff pulls you into all these little linguistic time warps. "Blow" meaning leave in a hurry probably dates from the 1920s. I'd say "bounce" today. "Rundown" as a procedure or summary dates from the mid-40s. Wog as a British term is pretty old, but briefly entered the American lexicon in the Pacific Theater, which is probably where ol' Ron picked it up. It's as if Hubbard stopped growing linguistically in the 1940s. Much of his created vocabulary is either slang from the 20s to the 40s, or derived from US military jargon from the 40s. Reading scientology materials always puts me in mind of my childhood reading of the ancient Readers Digests from that era in at my grandparents house. Does it strike anyone else that way? How about the non-US members? Did you put the strange vocab down to Yank dialects, or does it have that time warp quality for you, too?

 

[Gib]

That's a transliteration of the sign that hung on the camp gates to many Army Air Corps and USMC Aviation posts in WWII - "Through These Portals Walk the Hottest Pilots in the World". I have photographs air bases with those signs from both the Pacific and European theaters. I'm sure L. Ron saw those in publications such as "The Stars and Stripes".

This hits someting that struck me as an outsider with a taste for history - reading Hubbard's stuff pulls you into all these little linguistic time warps. "Blow" meaning leave in a hurry probably dates from the 1920s. I'd say "bounce" today. "Rundown" as a procedure or summary dates from the mid-40s. Wog as a British term is pretty old, but briefly entered the American lexicon in the Pacific Theater, which is probably where ol' Ron picked it up. It's as if Hubbard stopped growing linguistically in the 1940s. Much of his created vocabulary is either slang from the 20s to the 40s, or derived from US military jargon from the 40s. Reading scientology materials always puts me in mind of my childhood reading of the ancient Readers Digests from that era in at my grandparents house. Does it strike anyone else that way? How about the non-US members? Did you put the strange vocab down to Yank dialects, or does it have that time warp quality for you, too?

for me, hubbard spoke and wrote with such authority and certainty, why I believed him. Throughout it all, he said it was such a mind field to decipher, but yet he figured it out. He mentioned so many fields of past thought and famous names. I took it as he researched it all. He somehow shut down my research ability or my critical thinking ability. I believed him. Plus I had some wins, some realizations, and those stuck me to the subject. I didn't have wins or realizations in my prior education, although I learned things, but nobody presented it to me like having a "win or cognition", so I got stuck, trapped.

 

[exccc]

I have a friend in austin that hangs out with him in PT. I "reported" here that Jessica was never sick. but that has now been confirmed by Tony O.

Tommy and Jessica have cool new friends in Austin now, and he still has plenty of time to get on with his life. I am happy for that. If only all SO had such soft landings.

Ah, so is he in or out?

I know he's not well thought of by a lot of guys here. Can't blame you too much for that, but that's what the SO is, especially if you're that far uplines. Command Intention is all you have to work with at that point.

 

[exccc]

When I did finally end up on Flag in the FSO, I found it unbearable, and I left within 8 or 9 months.

Yes, I resemble that. If I could have still believed, I would have taken it, but after a while, I just couldn't accept the things I was seeing. Small things, but they started to add up.

I don't have horror stories like a lot of guys, but still, it was enough.

 

[exccc]

Such wonderful people were "in". Even though I was around long enough to see changes. I remember Kevin, who was treasury for the small mission I was on full time staff in. I saw him change almost overnight, under pressure. He was a lovely guy, but then he was ordered to become "unreasonable". It was sad. and not just a little bit scarey to watch.

And confusing. Like yesterday you were a friend of his, and working like a team... then the next day, you were the enemy, and to catch him trying to blame stolen money from the bookstore on your own bad cursive writing. He then demanded that I should never write in cursive again, but then in the back of your mind you know that has nothing to do with the fact that as the bookstore officer, you realised the mission holder was skimming off the booksales account. (hello dean) I hear you are still alive, chime in anytime.
exccc, just keep chiming in... we are happy to listen and interested.

Hey, thanks PT. It was a trip, I tell ya.

Were you BSO? I got posted there for about a week. HATED every minute of it. I just wasn't a hard-sell kind of person.

Usually, that post was a big hole. Orgs would post someone when there was some sort of directive, mission or other target about it, but sooner or later, that guy was getting reposted.

 

[In present time]

Ah, so is he in or out?

I know he's not well thought of by a lot of guys here. Can't blame you too much for that, but that's what the SO is, especially if you're that far uplines. Command Intention is all you have to work with at that point.

tommy and jessica are no longer working for the church. that is what they state publickly. i wish the best for them. i
always liked tommy, errm , i mean thomas. he's a loveable guy.

 

[degraded being]

I have a friend in austin that hangs out with him in PT. I "reported" here that Jessica was never sick. but that has now been confirmed by Tony O.

Tommy and Jessica have cool new friends in Austin now, and he still has plenty of time to get on with his life. I am happy for that. If only all SO had such soft landings.

....and multimillionaire parents.

 

[Gib]

tommy and jessica are no longer working for the church. that is what they state publickly. i wish the best for them. i
always liked tommy, errm , i mean thomas. he's a loveable guy.

so they are out chasing butterfly's (ksw)

instead of being part of the greatest show on earth, where everybody wins.

 

[exccc]

tommy and jessica are no longer working for the church. that is what they state publickly. i wish the best for them. i
always liked tommy, errm , i mean thomas. he's a loveable guy.

I was wondering more along the lines of if they were still in good standing or not. I would bet yes.

 

[LongTimeGone]

This thread got me thinking about what I might now miss about being at Flag - Two things came straight into my mind:

1. The subs at Mr Submarine and
2. The Steak and Cakes lunch on Sunday at the little restaurant half way down Cleveland street.

The rest was a complete waste of my time and energy and the subject of Scientology hardly enters my mind now.

I must add that here in Australia I simply can't find the magnificent Bagels that are available over there.
LTG

 

[exccc]

I must add that here in Australia I simply can't find the magnificent Bagels that are available over there.
LTG

Dude, if you think the bagels are good in FLORIDA... well, let me just tell you, you ain't had nothin' yet.

 

[Gadfly]

Dude, if you think the bagels are good in FLORIDA... well, let me just tell you, you ain't had nothin' yet.

Try the bagels from the Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn, NY! Yummy!

 

[Purple Rain]

This thread got me thinking about what I might now miss about being at Flag - Two things came straight into my mind:

1. The subs at Mr Submarine and
2. The Steak and Cakes lunch on Sunday at the little restaurant half way down Cleveland street.

The rest was a complete waste of my time and energy and the subject of Scientology hardly enters my mind now.

I must add that here in Australia I simply can't find the magnificent Bagels that are available over there.
LTG

I feel your pain, LTG. On the other hand you must admit we have better bread, cheese and crispbreads.

 

[Panda Termint]

This thread made me hungry!

 

[Sindy]

That's a transliteration of the sign that hung on the camp gates to many Army Air Corps and USMC Aviation posts in WWII - "Through These Portals Walk the Hottest Pilots in the World". I have photographs air bases with those signs from both the Pacific and European theaters. I'm sure L. Ron saw those in publications such as "The Stars and Stripes".

This hits someting that struck me as an outsider with a taste for history - reading Hubbard's stuff pulls you into all these little linguistic time warps. "Blow" meaning leave in a hurry probably dates from the 1920s. I'd say "bounce" today. "Rundown" as a procedure or summary dates from the mid-40s. Wog as a British term is pretty old, but briefly entered the American lexicon in the Pacific Theater, which is probably where ol' Ron picked it up. It's as if Hubbard stopped growing linguistically in the 1940s. Much of his created vocabulary is either slang from the 20s to the 40s, or derived from US military jargon from the 40s. Reading scientology materials always puts me in mind of my childhood reading of the ancient Readers Digests from that era in at my grandparents house. Does it strike anyone else that way? How about the non-US members? Did you put the strange vocab down to Yank dialects, or does it have that time warp quality for you, too?

^^^ Yes. I was just thinking these same thoughts the other day.