I Believe.

[I'm not sure where I was (mentally) when I wrote this draft, but it's been kicking around for a while. I don't want to delete it, so I'm going ahead and publishing it.]

I believe in shoestrings, in raw talent and bruised knuckles.

I believe in not having all the answers, but not letting that get in your way. I believe in opening things up, stripping things down, getting in way over your head and putting it all back together in the end.

I believe in working parts. I believe in functionality and utility, but not at the expense of style, which is just another word for whimsy. I believe that if it isn't beautiful when you're finished, it wasn't the right solution to begin with. I believe in elegance, but I also believe in getting the job done, by hook or by crook.

I believe in leaping before you look, trusting yourself, and reaching for higher ground. I believe in failure, in the power failure holds. I believe in picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and starting all over again.

I believe in resilience, in the indomitable human spirit, in compassion and self-sacrifice. I believe in tolerance, but I believe in merit. I believe in teaching a man to fish, but giving a man a fish in a pinch. I believe in not being an idiot. I believe in trust but verify.

I believe that the most anyone can ask of you is your best.

I believe nothing gives a person the right to infect your space with their crazy.

I believe in liberty. I believe in the chaos 6.7 billion free individuals could potentially wreak.

I believe in "Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible!", in "Do I contradict myself?/Very well, then, I contradict myself;/(I am large—I contain multitudes.)" and in capax universi. I believe its all been done before, but that's no reason not to do it again.

I believe in time-binding, in standing on the shoulders of genius and reaching higher, in reading a good book or at least a trashy paperback.

I believe in taking the time to figure out what you believe, because if you don't, someone is bound to try and do it for you. And I believe that's pretty fucked.

Done.

Well over a decade ago, my wife and I stepped over the thresh hold of the Church of Scientology of St. Louis.  We both signed two and a half year contracts, and had the pleasure of working with some of the most forthright and honorable people we've ever met.  Still, there was a significant disconnect between the stated aims of the Church, and the corporate climate we found ourselves in. 

Although we never experienced the kind of abuse that is coming to light now, we certainly experienced the collateral effects of that abuse.  Hateful, screaming phone calls from "up lines" in Los Angeles; insane, micro-managing programs sent down from on high; and the incessant interference from stridently zealous Sea Org missionaires revealed an organization not run on high affinity, communication and reality, but rather a brutal, top-down, command and control tyranny.

There is a lot of good in the study of Scientology, a lot of useful tools -- particularly at the lower end of the Bridge.  There are many good people who genuinely want to help others and make this a better world.

Unfortunately, that technology and those people are beholden to a leader and a culture completely inconsistent with the stated aims.  As such, we cannot in good conscience continue to align ourselves, even tacitly, with such an organization.

I would apologize to any of our friends currently in the church, but I'm not sorry for the impact this may have on you.  I hope it upsets you enough that you decide to look for yourself, and apply your own personal integrity to the existing scene.  Outpoints abound and you're not the only one who sees them.  Look, don't listen.

For more information, I highly recommend both of Jeff Hawkins' blogs:  His personal memoirs of thirty-five years in the sea org at Counterfeit Dreams, and his current commentary at Leaving Scientology. His story is compelling and very well written.  If you're in the church and sensitive to such things, be advised that he does touch on the confidential materials.


And of course, you can always contact me if you have any questions: andrewmoore_[insert at sign here]hotmail.com.