New Business Model, II| A New Model for Scientology, Part II | | Print | |
| Tuesday, 29 September 2009 06:28 |
“Scientology: Crazy Ideas, Crazy Wins”by Joe HowardThere it is, the new PR campaign for Scientology, coming soon to a billboard in your town! We just need a way to siphon off some of the three-quarters of a billion dollars in the IAS war chest to pay for it. That, by the way, is the totality of the campaign. It acknowledges the general public's perception of Scientology, which immediately establishes the highest Reality possible, while letting viewers make up their own mind about the wins. They can dispute whether the wins are crazy or not, depending on which definition of “crazy” they choose to read into it. It's kind of like the entire subject of Scientology—in the final analysis, you're free to make of it what you will. Leaders in the official Church of Scientology would more or less rather tell you what to make of it. But the tune playing on that drum is beginning to irritate the ears of Scientologists and they are beginning to tune it out. More and more, individual Scientologists are seeing themselves in the position described by LRH in the Tech Film, TR 5, “Why TRs,” and feeling like the kid who finds himself all alone in a strange land with no organization. What's a person to do? As LRH says in the film, “Of course you would apply Scientology.” People who have broken from the church, some many years ago, still apply the basics they learned in the subject: ARC, the comm formula, administrative basics, ethics tech, assists, etc. Some do that plus audit others or receive auditing. Indeed, one hears stories of people who bought DMSMH back in the 50s, have been auditing on and off ever since who had no idea that there was any organization or even the further subject of Scientology. No matter how rotten the church has become, the message of Scientology still inspires interest and passion among those with whom it once resonated. Some who have left the church think it's all a fraud and want to get rid of it. I'm not directing my articles at them particularly, aside from providing my tech perspective on what they have come to hate. Some feel that church policies are at the root of the abuses they have suffered or read about. What these people aren't confronting is that everyone who has worked for an org, mission or in the Sea Organization, was bound by those same policies. The greatest percentage of staff have never engaged in the abuses that some small percentage (about 2 or 2 1/2% at a wild guess) felt justified in dramatizing on others. Just as some Christians find a verse in the Bible to inflict all sorts of mischief on others or some Muslims pull a line out of the commentaries on the Koran to justify wearing the dynamite hoodie or a few Jews interpret the Talmud to suit their evil agendas, there have been Scientologists who used one policy or another to act out their evil purposes. In other words, it's the person, not the policy, who is at fault in the greatest number of instances. Before this results in endless nitpicking of policy, however, here's the real point: Scientology outside the umbrella of the church can have any damn policies we want. It can have any structure we give it. If a guy wants to sit out in Nova Scotia solo auditing on OT III in the morning and pulling salmon from the rivers in the afternoon, that's just dandy. If a person wants to sit on the train home from work and do Self Analysis lists on herself, more power to her. The idea here is that Scientology should fit into a person's life, not the other way around. There's a fascinating book out that articulates a lot of what has happened to society in the past 10 or 20 years and it is a great read for those of us who don't care for organizations. It comes highly recommended to any free Scientologist. It's called Here Comes Everybody, The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, by Clay Shirky. (Penguin Books, 2008) The point of this article is to get a discussion going on what kind of Scientology we want. Do we want it to be free, monetarily or thought wise? Do we want to reestablish the community that existed in the early days of Dianetics? Do we want to enable people to train up as auditors and co-audit outside the auspices of the official C of S? What? You'll notice that none of this takes into account the current church or its Dear Leader (the comparison is apt down to a fascination with Hollywood) or its misapplications of ethics, tech and admin. Despite all that, LRH's work is still there for anyone to use. Much of it is available on the 'net for free. Even the C of S itself has the complete Scientology Handbook up there for free. In other words, the Scientology you always envisioned can be created the way you felt it should be. The internet, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and many other digital tools make it possible today to do just that. Go to the New Business Model section and let's start commenting! -- Written by Joe Howard |
"Scientology has been taken over by a self-appointed dictator, David Miscavige, who has turned the Creed of the Church of Scientology, the Code of a Scientologist, and the Credo of a True Group Member on their heads and instituted the virtual practice of Reverse (Black) Dianetics..." 
Comments
People who knew me in the SO would laugh if they saw your recommendation that I be in a high admin position! I was never a fan of admin for admin's sake and most considered me policy-challenged as a result. I was, however, in such a management position for about a year and absolutely hated it. Thankfully, DM busted me and eventually I went back to compilations. To be a manager there you had to be willing punching bag (mostly verbally, but also physically) and that just wasn't my game. Well, that's enough motivating.
But yes, you've duplicated the vision exactly. Free, independent people using Scientology in a spirit of cooperation to help each other change and improve conditions. The economics will work themselves out, particularly because much of the organization can exist on the internet, and the costs involved with that are near zero. Sounds airy fairy as hell, but that is what is happening.
Joe
Beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful.
If only people like Joe were in high admin positions instead of David Miscaviage!!!
Which I'm sure you would be a shining example of!!!
Give yourself an Ack for Gods sakes!!!
Scientology started by being a tool for man to use. The original aim of Scientology was to serve people helping them to improve. It got twisted. The flow has been reversed in a subtle way, pushing the help button on so many people. It ceased to stress what Scientology can help you with, but how you can and MUST give up your life to Scientology. Scientology's greed and power became the end, and people, staff & public become the exploited slaves, controlled by lies, by fake statistics, by creating a dangerous environment outside of the "Truman show" that is current Scientology.
But the truth is that Scientology doesn't need money. Scientology doesn't need big buildings, five star restaurants, cruise ship, huge PR events, the Super Power building, copyrights. Scientology needs NOTHING of that.
Scientology must have no owner and no end on its own.
It is just a tool, like an hammer, a saw, a bed, a bicycle, a car. It only needs to be freely available and used by interested people who want to improve their own lives and reach their own goals, happiness and freedom.
You the individual, your family and your people are important.
Scientology is and must be at your service. Not the other way around.
Any attempt to make Scientology more important than an individual is an attempt to make of Scientology a Cult, to exploit the good faith of people and control them with lies. It is an attempt to enslave people, so damn close to what the Church of Scientology is now.
You got it exactly. Kool Aid drinkers would give all kinds of reasons why what you propose would result in complete destruction of the subject, but that's what Kool Aid does to a person.
Joe
It is so easy to go into group agreements and mutual out-ruds... at one point if we want to really give service we need a real structure. We have enough trained terminals. Very special included you. My dream would be to work with a group of high standard competent people... which are really there to help and to Clear.
The Orgs are filled with mostly well intentioned (albeit mostly unaware) people, remove the SPs and get back to implementing LRH's works.
There is nothing wrong with having groups, buildings, ships, etc. The problem is the non-confront of the SP and becoming PTS. The PTS comes up with unusual solutions, alter-ises, cowards or any combination of these and more.
We all need to get back to applying what is written not what someone wants us to do.
Ask "Where is it written" or "What policy is that based on", etc.
Certainty, ARC, good TRs and a true love for your fellow group member I believe can do more than any retaliation or new bright idea.
Let's do our part to take back what is ours, our Orgs.
Ok?
I don't have an answer for that, but I've got a few suggestions for online courses.
At the top of the list: We all know the problems associated with the misunderstood word and the difficulties encountered in word clearing: multiple dictionaries, context uncertainty, word chains, etc.
A fully hyperlinked dictionary could be the answer. A dictionary that would start you with the most appropriate definition for a word, allow you choose simpler dictionaries, even taking you down to KTL styled picture dictionaries, until you had full understanding.
While this might be achievable strictly within the online community of programmers, it is an example of a task for perfect to be headed by Gold while employing online programmers. A large task, to be sure. A task that, in the end, points to the need for an International structure of some sort that can address the needs of an online Scientology.
NOMAD
Thanks for all your create and your vision. It aligns with mine as well. Please email me so we can have a personal communication and hash out some more specific planning in "private".
Friend
I have said earlier (on Part I) that something does need to be done about the current management of the Church.
However, you still need a structure (i.e. Management) to MANAGE in accordance to LRH policy. LRH's admin tech is not a vague concept or something he pulled out of his ass. It is policy that has derived from observations and trial and error. He wrote policy so that the TECHNOLOGY of Dianetics and Scientology were available and correctly applied - basically KSW #1.
Anonymous has a great point about off-shoots. The technology is very specific (and pretty easy, too, I might add). However, it is also very easy for it to be corrupted (see any article on this website for examples). It is essential to have an organization and management in place to see that it is NOT corrupted and sprouting off-shoots.
I'm not saying we can't have field groups, field auditors, etc. The intention of orgs is to provide supreme and standard service to parishioners. This doesn't mean that someone can't get the Grade Chart from a field auditor. Management isn't even supposed to govern field auditors or missions. LRH said that missions are essentially a PR action.
As for administering the OT levels, LRH assigned that duty to the Sea Org because of the powerful technology contained on the OT levels. If they were to be squirreled, it could completely mess up a case.
So, to have Dianetics groups, field auditors, field groups, etc. is a wonderful action. But you can't completely dismiss the orgs or Management, as long as admin, tech and ethics are being applied per policy. A thetan knows when something is not right. If they can't achieve something along a designated route, they will find a detour. Admin, tech and ethics exist to keep the correct route open and free of roadblocks.
Essentially, the only reason we Independent Scientologists are where we are today is because ethics, tech and admin have been mutated and our Church has become an ugly and parasitic monster of an organization feeding on its brainwashed followers.
All that needs to be done, IMHO, is to remove the "head of Medusa", get a good leader in place (one who is going to see that admin, tech and ethics are CORRECTLY applied for the good of Scientology and mankind), formulate and adopt firm policy so that this dangerous situation does not reoccur (yes, that's the Danger formula) and get Scientology back on track.
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