When I first encountered Marc Headley's story I was both fascinated and appalled at the same time, though very different to my own there were many spheres of reference with which I could understand all too readily. When I watched him speak at the symposium in Germany I cried, and then again when I saw him speak in America at the conference of which Maureen Bolstad spoke also and I cried some more. All the people who spoke out had very moving stories to tell and all their stories are far more common than one would initially realise.
When Marc wrote his book, 'Blown for Good', I had to have it and when it finally came, I found it hard to put down, but one has to go to work.
I was most surprised to find Mark "Marty" Rathbun had done the Foreward and wondered how that was possible, knowing how Marty's words differed so much to Marc Headley's.
I had read a few pieces by Marty and I found myself unimpressed, his emphasis on Hubbard's words, thoughts and behaviors in himself kept taking me back to a time I was also very unimpressed with and a time of great trauma for both myself and people around me.
Marc Headley on the other hand I could sympathize with , empathize and know this was so very similar to my own experiences only under a different dictator, well not quite, Marc had the misfortune of not only living under Miscavige but Hubbard's works and words also, so in theory this was a double edged sword.In practise it was Miscavige's orders.But, at the end of the day, it all came from Hubbard. I am purpose fully not using the term LRH here, as some seem to think it is a term of endearment. How wrong could they be, it's ALL I knew him as , that and 'SIR'. 'The old man' was a term of endearment that came from the hardcore Hubbardites, and I believe it stems from the fact that he supposedly had many lifetimes upon this earth.You will never hear me call him the old man, unless quoting.
Anyway, back to Marc Headley's book or more correctly the Foreword.As I said I was surprised and even afterwards went back and read a few more of Marty's posts. But that's where it stopped. I would never be able to reconcile my thoughts of Hubbard, those of Marty's and those of Marc Headley's and put all of them into some kind of context, and believe me I have tried.
As I have said all along and firmly believe this, growing up as a child in Scientology and growing into Scientology as an adult are two totally different things and I think very few children that have grown up in Scientology and finally gotten out will agree with an adults interpretation of what Scientology actually is.Scientology to a child inhibits the natural flow of communication, creativity, the natural need of play and fun. The study tech renders children incapable of aspiring to find a new word, because so much emphasis is made to clay demo everything including 'it, and, and is, was and when', Want to put a child into apathy and boredom? Bring on the study tech! It works!
I hope Marc Headley won't mind, and if he does he's just got to let me know but I am going to put the Foreword to his book here in full to remind Marty of his own words.If Marc minds I will remove it.
Foreword by Mark "Marty" Rathbun.
After reading the first several chapters of Blown for Good, I made a mental note to write the author an email. I was going to suggest he have someone else write an alternate Foreword because he might not like what I have to say. While Marc Headley and I were stationed at the same international headquarters property of the Scientology's elite Sea Organization for nearly fifteen years, his views of some of Scientology's founder Hubbard's writings and my views differed greatly. I never had time to write or send the note because I could not put the manuscript down. I was gripped by Marc's personal story.
I came to find that while Marc's opinions about occurrences we both experienced
varied from mine, there was every reason they should. After all, Marc did not get into Scientology of his own volition. As a child his Mother willed it upon him. I got in after two years of college entirely by my own choice. Marc was forced by circumstances to join the Sea Organization. I had willingly signed on in order to fill a purpose.Naturally the way we read material and viewed matters would disagree.Nonetheless, when it came to relating facts-without regard to view or opinion-Marc's recollection and accuracy were remarkable.
Recognizing that Marc and I had utterly divergent reference points from which to view largely the same culture and experience. Marc's account became that much more fascinating to me. I began to wonder, how many people had I interacted with over twenty -seven years within the church whose back story aligned more with Marc's than my mine? On reflection, I decided probably more members of the Sea Organization(some eighty-five hundred strong when I left in 2004) who constitute the the management of Scientology internationally had a frame reference closer to Marc's than mine. After all, over the past thirty years Scientology's numbers of new members had been dwindling.The Sea Organization had increasingly relied on recruiting the teenaged kids of long term Scientologists in order to keep it's ranks filled.
A great deal of that majority were people whose lives I affected for better or worse from on high in the church's leading ecclesiastical body, Religious Technology Center. As I read how progressively insane the dictates from my controlling organization became as they literally rolled down the hill at international headquarters in the foothills of San Jacinto mountains in Southern California, and how negatively they affected people on the receiving end, a deep sense of remorse enveloped me. Sure I had sought out people I had known that I had visited injustices upon individually, apologized and made things right. But Marc's book recreated a culture I knew of and influenced, but did not live of. As I read of the pain Marc went through I remembered dozens of others similarly situated whom I knew during my Scientology experience but whose lives and feelings I was never afforded an opportunity to understand.
Marc alludes to others who will be telling their accounts from within the upper echelons of Scientology and how this will forward reform and healing.Such a scenario reflects Hubbard's prescribed system of management. Hubbard called for a remote management body to draw upon a multitude of reports from various points within an organization being managed, then cooly evaluating the facts to get the most complete and accurate view
of what it is really like on the ground.Only then could an organizational problem afar be sanely and effectively be handled. The system was called the Multiple Viewpoint System of Management.
Hubbard eschewed the notion that someone in an ivory tower-no matter how intelligent-can receive one report and then arbitrarily dictate what is to be done several thousand miles away. What Hubbard condemns is precisely what Marc describes as current Supreme Leader Miscavige's day to day operating basis. His description of Miscavige's obsession of handling everything himself,while preventing thousands of others from handling anything is not only very accurate, it is also what Hubbard described as the fastest way to destroy an organization. Add to the mix Marc's factual description of Miscavige as "evil and enjoy[ing] watching other people suffer", and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
Ironically, Marc supplies the first comprehensive and largely accurate report on the monster Miscavige has created which may mark the beginning of the only thing that can save the subject from the avarice of Miscavige. The multiple viewpoint system applied from without. The Lord knows, and as Marc makes clear, it can never be applied from within. And ironic that this report comes from the very person Miscavige has been spending thousands of dollars to destroy for the past few years.
Marc's account of the trials and tribulations one goes through in leaving it all behind captures the agony and ecstasy one inevitably experiences in following through with abiding by his or her conscience. It is not an easy barrier to break through. Before Marc's book the only artistic expression that came close to expressing the passion for me was U2's Walk On;And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks, but you can only take so much, Walk on...Marc has now provided a narrative that allows the reader to experience that treacherous ride for him or herself.
Finally, Marc deserves props for speaking out during a period when few with quality, inside information did. I know what he faced. I helped to create it. Hopefully this book will help to civilize it.
End quote.
I don't know why but the only thing that comes to mind right now having read this through twice and typed it, is this.
There is nothing as wild as in the books of man as will probably happen here on earth. And it will happen simply because all of this is so incredible that nobody will even think of stopping it until it is far, far too late. L. Ron Hubbard.
Double Whammy!
It's a rip roaring read, but just bear in mind it didn't start with Miscavige and it doesn't stop with him either.
http://blownforgood.com/
When Marc wrote his book, 'Blown for Good', I had to have it and when it finally came, I found it hard to put down, but one has to go to work.
I was most surprised to find Mark "Marty" Rathbun had done the Foreward and wondered how that was possible, knowing how Marty's words differed so much to Marc Headley's.
I had read a few pieces by Marty and I found myself unimpressed, his emphasis on Hubbard's words, thoughts and behaviors in himself kept taking me back to a time I was also very unimpressed with and a time of great trauma for both myself and people around me.
Marc Headley on the other hand I could sympathize with , empathize and know this was so very similar to my own experiences only under a different dictator, well not quite, Marc had the misfortune of not only living under Miscavige but Hubbard's works and words also, so in theory this was a double edged sword.In practise it was Miscavige's orders.But, at the end of the day, it all came from Hubbard. I am purpose fully not using the term LRH here, as some seem to think it is a term of endearment. How wrong could they be, it's ALL I knew him as , that and 'SIR'. 'The old man' was a term of endearment that came from the hardcore Hubbardites, and I believe it stems from the fact that he supposedly had many lifetimes upon this earth.You will never hear me call him the old man, unless quoting.
Anyway, back to Marc Headley's book or more correctly the Foreword.As I said I was surprised and even afterwards went back and read a few more of Marty's posts. But that's where it stopped. I would never be able to reconcile my thoughts of Hubbard, those of Marty's and those of Marc Headley's and put all of them into some kind of context, and believe me I have tried.
As I have said all along and firmly believe this, growing up as a child in Scientology and growing into Scientology as an adult are two totally different things and I think very few children that have grown up in Scientology and finally gotten out will agree with an adults interpretation of what Scientology actually is.Scientology to a child inhibits the natural flow of communication, creativity, the natural need of play and fun. The study tech renders children incapable of aspiring to find a new word, because so much emphasis is made to clay demo everything including 'it, and, and is, was and when', Want to put a child into apathy and boredom? Bring on the study tech! It works!
I hope Marc Headley won't mind, and if he does he's just got to let me know but I am going to put the Foreword to his book here in full to remind Marty of his own words.If Marc minds I will remove it.
Foreword by Mark "Marty" Rathbun.
After reading the first several chapters of Blown for Good, I made a mental note to write the author an email. I was going to suggest he have someone else write an alternate Foreword because he might not like what I have to say. While Marc Headley and I were stationed at the same international headquarters property of the Scientology's elite Sea Organization for nearly fifteen years, his views of some of Scientology's founder Hubbard's writings and my views differed greatly. I never had time to write or send the note because I could not put the manuscript down. I was gripped by Marc's personal story.
I came to find that while Marc's opinions about occurrences we both experienced
varied from mine, there was every reason they should. After all, Marc did not get into Scientology of his own volition. As a child his Mother willed it upon him. I got in after two years of college entirely by my own choice. Marc was forced by circumstances to join the Sea Organization. I had willingly signed on in order to fill a purpose.Naturally the way we read material and viewed matters would disagree.Nonetheless, when it came to relating facts-without regard to view or opinion-Marc's recollection and accuracy were remarkable.
Recognizing that Marc and I had utterly divergent reference points from which to view largely the same culture and experience. Marc's account became that much more fascinating to me. I began to wonder, how many people had I interacted with over twenty -seven years within the church whose back story aligned more with Marc's than my mine? On reflection, I decided probably more members of the Sea Organization(some eighty-five hundred strong when I left in 2004) who constitute the the management of Scientology internationally had a frame reference closer to Marc's than mine. After all, over the past thirty years Scientology's numbers of new members had been dwindling.The Sea Organization had increasingly relied on recruiting the teenaged kids of long term Scientologists in order to keep it's ranks filled.
A great deal of that majority were people whose lives I affected for better or worse from on high in the church's leading ecclesiastical body, Religious Technology Center. As I read how progressively insane the dictates from my controlling organization became as they literally rolled down the hill at international headquarters in the foothills of San Jacinto mountains in Southern California, and how negatively they affected people on the receiving end, a deep sense of remorse enveloped me. Sure I had sought out people I had known that I had visited injustices upon individually, apologized and made things right. But Marc's book recreated a culture I knew of and influenced, but did not live of. As I read of the pain Marc went through I remembered dozens of others similarly situated whom I knew during my Scientology experience but whose lives and feelings I was never afforded an opportunity to understand.
Marc alludes to others who will be telling their accounts from within the upper echelons of Scientology and how this will forward reform and healing.Such a scenario reflects Hubbard's prescribed system of management. Hubbard called for a remote management body to draw upon a multitude of reports from various points within an organization being managed, then cooly evaluating the facts to get the most complete and accurate view
of what it is really like on the ground.Only then could an organizational problem afar be sanely and effectively be handled. The system was called the Multiple Viewpoint System of Management.
Hubbard eschewed the notion that someone in an ivory tower-no matter how intelligent-can receive one report and then arbitrarily dictate what is to be done several thousand miles away. What Hubbard condemns is precisely what Marc describes as current Supreme Leader Miscavige's day to day operating basis. His description of Miscavige's obsession of handling everything himself,while preventing thousands of others from handling anything is not only very accurate, it is also what Hubbard described as the fastest way to destroy an organization. Add to the mix Marc's factual description of Miscavige as "evil and enjoy[ing] watching other people suffer", and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
Ironically, Marc supplies the first comprehensive and largely accurate report on the monster Miscavige has created which may mark the beginning of the only thing that can save the subject from the avarice of Miscavige. The multiple viewpoint system applied from without. The Lord knows, and as Marc makes clear, it can never be applied from within. And ironic that this report comes from the very person Miscavige has been spending thousands of dollars to destroy for the past few years.
Marc's account of the trials and tribulations one goes through in leaving it all behind captures the agony and ecstasy one inevitably experiences in following through with abiding by his or her conscience. It is not an easy barrier to break through. Before Marc's book the only artistic expression that came close to expressing the passion for me was U2's Walk On;And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks, but you can only take so much, Walk on...Marc has now provided a narrative that allows the reader to experience that treacherous ride for him or herself.
Finally, Marc deserves props for speaking out during a period when few with quality, inside information did. I know what he faced. I helped to create it. Hopefully this book will help to civilize it.
End quote.
I don't know why but the only thing that comes to mind right now having read this through twice and typed it, is this.
There is nothing as wild as in the books of man as will probably happen here on earth. And it will happen simply because all of this is so incredible that nobody will even think of stopping it until it is far, far too late. L. Ron Hubbard.
Double Whammy!
It's a rip roaring read, but just bear in mind it didn't start with Miscavige and it doesn't stop with him either.
http://blownforgood.com/
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