Scientology and Virginia Tech

In a flash, 32 students were dead at the hands of one of their own. Like most others who saw the reports and the terrifying pictures of SWAT teams and ambulances at Virginia Tech, I was initially dumbstruck by the attrocity and violence. I took several minutes to digest what had just happened.

Then I went into action.

As a team leader for a Scientology Volunteer Minister Disaster Response team, I knew what needed to be done and how to do it. While many people bemoaned the tragedy with questions like “Why?” and “How could this happen?”, we know the answers and know what to do when tragedy strikes.

Tragedy such as Virginia Tech goes far beyond the loss of 33 lives. An overwhelming shock such as this brings about a pervasive sense of apathy and hopelessness. So many times, while on the campus with my team, I heard people say “There’s nothing that can be done about it now. What’s done is done.”

As a Scientologist, the one thing I know is this:

Something CAN be done about it.

Can we raise the dead? No. Can we turn back time and stop the shooter? No. But we can help the many thousands of people whos lives have been shattered by this catastrophe. Thirty three people died at Virginia Tech – but tens of thousands survived. It is for the survivors that we travelled almost 3,000 miles. And it is for the survivors that we do what we do.

Do Scientologists Believe in God?

I hear this one a lot. It's interesting that there is a perception that we don't believe in God, when at the core of Scientology understanding is the dynamics. There are eight major divisions of life, which we call the dynamics. The eighth dynamic is infinity, or the God dynamic.

The real question is actually - who or what do you believe God to be? The answer to that is unique to each Scientologist. As a Scientologist, one does not foreswear his own beliefs - in fact denying your own convictions is contrary to what it means to be a Scientologist.

Ask ten Scientologists about their beliefs regarding God and don't be surprised if you get ten different answers. Within any community of Scientologists, you are likely to find Catholics, Protestants (I was raised Presbyterian), Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Shintos, Baha'i and many more.

Do we believe in God? In more ways than you can imagine.

Impact of the belief in God upon society

Never Give Up!

One thing you can count on with a Scientologist is persistence. Once we've decided on a task, you can count on it getting done despite whatever roadblocks, thwarts, hell-or-highwater may come.

Scientologists view life as a game, and we generally approach our challenges and problems as such.

Case in point, a very good friend of mine noticed that I've been negligent in my blog postings (oh my GAWD - has it really been three months?) and wanted me to get back in the saddle. First, she started off with a little note saying "Sure do miss those blog postings ..." to which I replied how busy I was, things getting in the way, blah, blah, blah, apologies.

Several days later, she sent an email saying "Sure do miss that blog, don't we Gertrude?". I was in the middle of six bzillion other things when I read this, so my immediate thought was "Who the hell is Gertrude"? Then I got the picture of an old-timer, sitting out on his front porch in Bumpwhap, Oklahoma, rocking back-and-forth saying "Sure do miss that blog ..." Couldn't help laughing at that one and wrote pack promissing to get a posting up.

This morning, she sent me an email that said "...choke ... gasp .... sputter ... " like she'd been holding her breath this whole time. I darned near fell off my chair laughing and here I am, posting to my blog.

My friend kept at it and didn't let me forget. She didn't get frustrated or feel "put off", but simply kept the message going and kept playing the game ... until we both won!

A Matter of Integrity

I had a surprising phone call from a very good friend today. She was upset and didn’t like the manner in which I was conducting myself. Frankly, she was pissed. Blue flame shooting through the phone – that sort thing.

There was an immediate urge to appease her and simply calm things down. Agree with her argument and "just let it go". The problem was, I didn’t agree. More importantly, concurring with her would undermine other activities which were important to me.

The point here was not right or wrong. It was a matter of integrity. Integrity as a Scientologist isn’t some nebulous catch-phrase or a moral fixation. "Integrity" derives from "Integer" which means "whole, complete or unbroken". Having personal integrity means one is unbroken – a complete person. Deviations from my own certainty and beliefs (against my own better judgement or will) would dilute me as a person. I wouldn’t be complete. If I supplicated to my friend in order to avoid this confrontation – and agreed to act differently - I’d feel obligated to continue to act against my own judgement. Not good.

Instead of taking the easy way out, I talked with my friend and presented the whole story. Some of it was difficult to explain and some of it was not easy for her to hear, because she firmly disagreed. In the end, we both maintained our integrity – and found a new level of respect for each other in the process.

Improving Conditions in Life

Scientology is a way to improve conditions in life. This is the simplest way I can describe a profoundly deep and encompassing subject.

Of course, my friends, clients and people I’m chatting with want to know more. What conditions? What do I mean by "conditions"? How does this work?

While I was down in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a woman asked me this question. I had a moment between emergencies (precious few were those moments!) so I told her it was a way to improve conditions in life. She rolled her eyes, looked away and said "What kinda conditions"?

"Well," I said, "if there was one thing in your life that you could improve – just one – what would it be?"

"Men" she said, with a cynical laugh.

"Ok, so tell me … what’s up with men?"

Fifteen minutes later, this woman was still talking. She was animated. She was alive. She was interested. When she came to the end of her story, I asked her one question.

"If there was a way for you to understand men, to be able to tell the good ones from the ones that are going to just run off, and to actually predict how they will act in the future, would that be a good thing?"
"Hell YEAH!"

"Scientology can help you with that"

From that point on, this woman wanted to know everything … I mean everything … about the subject. Now, get this right. She had just lost her home, her job, her valuables. She was living in an emergency shelter and had spent most of the day tracing down other family members in other shelters. She was exhausted. Yet the one thing that she wanted to handle - the one thing that had truly ruined her life – was men.

What "conditions" does Scientology handle? The ones that are important to you.

Simple Scientology Assists for Injuries

Scientology Assists are simple techniques to help a person deal with a physical injury or sudden trauma. Because I do them all the time, it's easy to forget the impact assists have on my life as well as others.

Today I was opening an envelope and the letter inside cut deeply into the flesh under my fingernail. This wasn't "just a paper cut" - it felt like a sharp knife driven under my nail. Lots of blood and the pain was blinding. I did the correct first aid and disinfected the area. Still more blood and I became concerned.

Then I did an assist which consisted of putting the injured part (my finger) in precisely the same spot where it was hurt - assuming it is safe to do so. A few moments after doing so, the pain flared up to the point where my knees started to buckle, and then ... it was gone. No pain. No stress. Nada. The cut didn't magically heal up, but the bleeding stopped completely and I was just mildly curious about the fact that the cut had actually gone through the skin and into the muscle.

Several minutes later and here I am, typing this blog with with no undue attention on my finger. Maybe I'll put a bandaid on it later ... just for fun.

One Who Listens

Every Scientologist is, to a greater or lesser extent, an auditor. The word loosely translates to "one who listens and understands".

Last week I had dinner with a delightful woman whom I’d recently met. During the date, I noticed that she had become a little dispirited – so I asked her what was wrong. She told me about an enduring problem that she had regarding men and relationships. Apparently, she had run into the same problem again and again since college.

My new friend didn’t need advice, a motivational speech or some hackneyed sound bite. More than anything else, she needed someone who could honestly listen and understand her problem.

After she described her her troubles, I asked a single question. She talked, I listened. When she had fully answered, I asked another question. This was just an informal conversation, but it went on in this manner for some time. Then she brightened up and said "You know, I just realized something!" and proceeded to rattle off an excellent (and very simple) solution for this long standing (and very complex) problem. For the rest of the evening, she was bubbly and full of zest.

As a Scientologist, I know how to listen and I do it often. You’d be amazed at how much that simple ability helps others.