Gadfly
Crusader
Yes, LRH took almost everything from somewhere else. Yes, he came up with a few things of his own. But, for the most part, he reworded ideas that had been around for a very long time. As I am very familiar with some of the these ideas in their original form, it is clear to me that Hubbard's main "skill" was in "organizing". But, also, he did alter some of what he stole or borrowed from others. Generally, what I have come to realize is that what I liked about the subject of Scientology, is largely what I like/liked about data from Buddhism and Hinduism.
Hubbard went entirely off the rails with his ethics/justice tech, and especially "management" views. The insane degree of "WE ARE THE ONLY WAY, FOLLOW US OR ELSE", as expressed in the "Keeping Scientology Working" HCOPL, is ratcheted up in the official Church, more so than in any other similar practice. This aspect of "we must save the universe now", RUSH RUSH RUSH, "an emergency every moment of everyday", "we have limited time and resources with so many enemies against us", and on and on, creates such an amazingly SEVERE attitude within the official Church. This aspect is unique and major in Scientology.
I will always have an affinity for eastern ideas as expressed in Hindu and Buddhist thought. I like some of how LRH expressed those things. Though, for me now at this stage in my life, I have found meditation and visualization techniques, and even some aspects of Magick, FAR MORE useful than Hubbard's auditing techniques. Yes, auditing helped me when I had lots of problems and was a young inexperienced insecure "idealistic" dweeb, BUT as a grown-up with mature aims, the subject and methods of Scn are almost entirely of no value to me anymore.
Really, it is simply the underlying attitude of Scientology that got me re-evaluating the entire subject. Hubbard's elitism, his overblown sense of value for himself and the subject he "created", and the fanatical "lofty purpose to Clear the Planet", underlie and live through everything about Scientology. And, to me and for me, that results in a major conflict, where most members cannot learn and display some of the most powerful aspects of any VALID spiritual path: love, compassion, forgiveness, and non-judgment. Over 20 years in close involvement with the group and people who had studied and applied "LRH data", I saw very FEW with any understanding of these terms, and even fewer actually practice these ideas in their lives. I reiterate that Scientology largely creates self-absorbed ego-maniacs, with grossly inflated senses of their own goals and purposes, and with REDUCED affinity for their fellow man due to the inherent elitist view (we are the best, we are doing it, we are saving all Man, wogs are inferior, SPs suck, evil beings are everywhere and out to get us, the media sucks, the middle class sucks, in fact EVERYTHING sucks in Hubbard's view except the Church and Church supporters). Oh they will "care", but mostly only if you are "one of the team". Too often the "affinity" towards others is very much qualified and conditional. Leave the team, and watch what happens. Almost always.
And the organization, and how it is run? THAT aspect is entirely NUTS. When any person honestly looks at how the LRH policies were written and are applied to "handle, address, attack and overwhelm enemies", how can any person not see through the lies and deception and see them for what they are. These people are disingenuous, deceitful, manipulating NASTY people. I know I am talking about RTC, OSA and top management in that regard, since most staff and public are unaware of the very horrible actions their Church takes in "handling critics and dissent". But the "top" sets the tone for the whole operation. It always has and it always will. Hubbard began that and it continues with Miscavige.
Loud, forceful, arrogant, demanding, nasty, "the end justifies the means", "do anything, even harm and lie to and about others, to reach our glorious goals", and never be "reasonable".
THAT is the legacy of Hubbard's running things. It is extreme. That tradition continues.
I also think that Hubbard's ideas on management can in some ways be applied and useful to "normal people". But, the way these are used within the Church, along with KSW and the absolutist attitude of "we are the only savior in the entire universe", well the result is total lunacy.
Hubbard went entirely off the rails with his ethics/justice tech, and especially "management" views. The insane degree of "WE ARE THE ONLY WAY, FOLLOW US OR ELSE", as expressed in the "Keeping Scientology Working" HCOPL, is ratcheted up in the official Church, more so than in any other similar practice. This aspect of "we must save the universe now", RUSH RUSH RUSH, "an emergency every moment of everyday", "we have limited time and resources with so many enemies against us", and on and on, creates such an amazingly SEVERE attitude within the official Church. This aspect is unique and major in Scientology.
I will always have an affinity for eastern ideas as expressed in Hindu and Buddhist thought. I like some of how LRH expressed those things. Though, for me now at this stage in my life, I have found meditation and visualization techniques, and even some aspects of Magick, FAR MORE useful than Hubbard's auditing techniques. Yes, auditing helped me when I had lots of problems and was a young inexperienced insecure "idealistic" dweeb, BUT as a grown-up with mature aims, the subject and methods of Scn are almost entirely of no value to me anymore.
Really, it is simply the underlying attitude of Scientology that got me re-evaluating the entire subject. Hubbard's elitism, his overblown sense of value for himself and the subject he "created", and the fanatical "lofty purpose to Clear the Planet", underlie and live through everything about Scientology. And, to me and for me, that results in a major conflict, where most members cannot learn and display some of the most powerful aspects of any VALID spiritual path: love, compassion, forgiveness, and non-judgment. Over 20 years in close involvement with the group and people who had studied and applied "LRH data", I saw very FEW with any understanding of these terms, and even fewer actually practice these ideas in their lives. I reiterate that Scientology largely creates self-absorbed ego-maniacs, with grossly inflated senses of their own goals and purposes, and with REDUCED affinity for their fellow man due to the inherent elitist view (we are the best, we are doing it, we are saving all Man, wogs are inferior, SPs suck, evil beings are everywhere and out to get us, the media sucks, the middle class sucks, in fact EVERYTHING sucks in Hubbard's view except the Church and Church supporters). Oh they will "care", but mostly only if you are "one of the team". Too often the "affinity" towards others is very much qualified and conditional. Leave the team, and watch what happens. Almost always.
And the organization, and how it is run? THAT aspect is entirely NUTS. When any person honestly looks at how the LRH policies were written and are applied to "handle, address, attack and overwhelm enemies", how can any person not see through the lies and deception and see them for what they are. These people are disingenuous, deceitful, manipulating NASTY people. I know I am talking about RTC, OSA and top management in that regard, since most staff and public are unaware of the very horrible actions their Church takes in "handling critics and dissent". But the "top" sets the tone for the whole operation. It always has and it always will. Hubbard began that and it continues with Miscavige.
Loud, forceful, arrogant, demanding, nasty, "the end justifies the means", "do anything, even harm and lie to and about others, to reach our glorious goals", and never be "reasonable".
THAT is the legacy of Hubbard's running things. It is extreme. That tradition continues.
I also think that Hubbard's ideas on management can in some ways be applied and useful to "normal people". But, the way these are used within the Church, along with KSW and the absolutist attitude of "we are the only savior in the entire universe", well the result is total lunacy.
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