However, I don't want to give the impression that these are the only words and the only concept that inculcates the thought control ability in Scientologists. There are many, many Scientology words, phrases and concepts that work in that direction.
One of the most pervasive and powerful concepts for thought control is Hubbard's ideas about the "Overt-Motivator Sequence". This is, really, Hubbard's reworking of the idea of karma. The short version is: One first does something bad (an "overt") and subsequently, one "pulls in" (causes something to happen to oneself) something bad (a "motivator") as an after-the-fact excuse for the previous overt.
Get it? If anything bad happens to you, it's because you "pulled it in" -- because of your overts!
Understand that, in Scientology, this is an absolute. Anything bad that happens to you is your fault!
The engine falls off a jetliner and lands on you, it's totally your fault. How can that be? Well, it's probably because sometime, in some past life, you dropped a jet engine on someone else -- or something.
See? It's all your fault.
And one of the manifestations of having an overt is that you start complaining about what was done to you. The Scientological response to someone complaining about what was done to them is, "What did you do?"
This is one very important component in Scientology thought control.
Now, it must be noted here that this concept does not include David Miscavige or the Church of Scientology, nor did it ever include L. Ron Hubbard. If anything bad happens to Miscavige or Scientology, it is because they only do good -- and Evil People are attacking them. When Miscavige complains about all that has been done to him, it's because he is the only good person around. No overts there!So, to get back to the rest of us, this means that you can never complain. If you're in deep debt from paying Scientology so much money -- it's completely your fault. If you didn't get the expected gains from Scientology -- it's your fault. If you ran your business strictly according to Hubbard and it failed -- it's totally your fault.
And here is a key point: Anything the Church of Scientology does to you is your fault! And you can never complain.
If the church, or Miscavige, does something harmful to you -- you "pulled it in".
Woe betide you if you dare complain or even hint that it's not right. Oh boy! If you did that, you'd be in serious trouble! "What did you do? It's your overts! It's all the bad things you've done!"
So Scientologists never complain. Further, to stay out of trouble, they will actually lie and say "I'm happy, everything is fine!"
Scientology thought control: It's all your fault, you are the criminal, so shut up and "be happy!"
So, for Scientologists, here is a little thought exercise: Why don't you apply the same criteria to Miscavige and the Church of Scientology that they impose on you.
- Miscavige constantly complains about everyone else, what they've "done to him", what "crimes" they're committing against him, how bad everyone else is. His rants are famous. So ask: What are his crimes?
- The Church of Scientology is collapsing. Governments are investigating and taking Scientology organizations to court. There are protests -- and they are not stopping. Lawsuits are being filed against the church. People are leaving and very few new people are coming in. Bad things are happening to the church all over the world. So ask: What did the church do to "pull it in"?
I'm not saying this whole "Overt-Motivator" theory is absolutely correct, but if you believe it, then apply it to Miscavige and Scientology as well. What did they do?
Then find the answers. You will learn a lot.
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I'm not an ex, but I've long seen a lot of mind fuck potential in the notion that you are ultimately responsible for your own condition, no matter what. Its fiendishly clever in a sick sort of way. Won the lottery? Good job bro! Got rear ended in an accident? WHAT ARE YOUR CRIMES??? Very useful guilt inducing device...
ReplyDelete-Red Pill on Topix
Yes, and very, very carefully designed so that Hubbard, Miscavige and the CoS can never, ever be held responsible for anything bad that happens. Guilt is designed to be a one-way flow in Scientology. You're always guilty and they never are.
ReplyDelete"It's Your Fault, Really"... How many times has that excuse been used in situation of spousal, elder, or child abuse? The perpetrator telling the victim that they're to blame, and the victim believing it?
ReplyDeleteIt's truly tragic, it really is.
Does this mean that Buddhists who believe in Karma are victim of thought-control as well? What's the difference?
ReplyDeleteRegarding Buddhism and Karma: That's something entirely different. We're talking about Hubbard's "Overt-Motivator Sequence" and how Scientology uses it to avoid responsibility and make Scientologists guilty of everything.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, Hubbard's "Overt-Motivator Sequence" isn't Karma and Scientology isn't Buddhism.
If you truly want to know the difference, go ahead and study both. Let me know how that works out, OK?
More re: Buddhism and Karma. Does Buddhism intentionally harm people -- and then blame it on their "bad karma"?
ReplyDeleteNo. Then it isn't like Scientology. Get it?
First of all, I am in admiration of what you "Just Bill" are doing. It is quite intelligent, enlightening and serves to restore the ability Scientology tries so cleverly to annul: Being able to disagree with it or with Ron and excluding them from their own precepts.
ReplyDeleteI am very much in agreement with how Scientology and Ron Hubbard have failed to chronically "walk their talk". Their unwillingness and inability to apply their own precepts and assume full responsibility for their failure to achieve their major goals, for their PR disasters, for the appearance of Anonymous and critics, for the overwhelming number of “Scientologists” who have left, and for the current state and reputation of Scientology.
I am not quite sure whether you, in this writing, believe in terms of whether one is ultimately responsible for all that happens in one’s life, including the being hit by a jet engine. Responsibility to me is an empowering condition, the more responsible I become for what happens in my life, the more I am willing to take a look at what I did or did not do that went against my core principles, wisdoms and values, that opened up the door to the “negative”, the stronger and more able I become to make happen what I want and to prevent from happening what I do not want..
I am very much in agreement with the concept of “pulling in” and the existence of overts and motivators when it is used in the context that, assuming those viewpoints, may help an individual recognize and own up to his power, to his ability to make occur good and bad conditions because it ultimately serves, in my viewpoint, to make him more powerful and more wiser. I am not in agreement when it is used to weaken and degrade an individual by guilt, shame or blame or to shift away responsibility from the biggest or only originator of it.
Ron Hubbard, and not ironically so as many of his teachings are superb, stated as one of his definitions for responsibility that "full responsibility is not fault but the recognition of being cause".
When one is forced to recognize having been the cause of a bad condition then one is harmed. When one is allowed to examine one’s degree of having been the source and cause of the bad that is happening to one, then, in my viewpoint, one gets a saner, a more powerful, a more decent human being, and a person who is capable of stopping or improving those conditions.
@Luis,
ReplyDeleteI find myself much in agreement with the basic concept of karma -- that doing good brings goodness into your life, and that doing bad does the opposite. I think most people feel that.
Certainly, that is a more causative viewpoint to bringing goodness into your life. It isn't luck, it is what you do.
That being said, I absolutely do not agree with the Scientology slant: Everything bad is your fault (and you need to pay Scientology lots of money to find out "what you did").
You know, sometimes things just happen. You don't need thousands and thousands of dollars to "figure it out". Sometimes things just happen -- hurricanes, earthquakes, jet engines...
Where the balance comes in is when friends come to help, or you have more resources -- because you've done good things.
But all that is just my opinion, and my hope.
And I hope that Scientologists do wake up and look at why Scientology and Miscavige and "pulling in" such problems. "Overt-Motivator" or "karma", the balance is not in Scientology's favor.
@Luis,
ReplyDeleteI seem to have neglected a rather important point that you mentioned. The Hubbard idea of "everything bad is your fault" is a trap.
It this were so, then you must find out "why"? And Scientology is the "only" way you can, for many thousands of dollars.
That's a trap. "There must be a reason!" "It's all my fault!" "I must 'handle' myself so this won't happen again!" All deadly traps -- created so that you need Hubbard's "solutions".
Sometimes things just happen. Empowerment comes from how you deal with it, not from diving into your past or your mind to "figure out 'why'".
No, I don't buy that package any more.
Hi "Just Bill"
ReplyDeleteI very much agree with you in how the Church uses their "karma" principles to trap, weaken and control. A lot of tools, including ethics, is used for the same purpose.
So you did cleared it up for me. I was not sure whether you were nourishing the "victim" philosophy where one can be excused from assuming any degree of responsibility for a negative situation that occurs to one.
I would like to add, that, to me, the cleverest and biggest trapping mechanism Scientology has is the having one become and identify oneself solely as a "Scientologist".
Loss of awareness and freedom to be who I really was, and loss of objectivity or ability to be exterior to Scientology and Ron were severely suppressed the moments I became one.
By agreeing to become a "Scientologist" I entered into the world of fanaticsm, blind loyalty and credibility, and resentful and angry opposition to anyone who criticized or was against it.
And, so that you know, the ingredient that made possible my becoming a Scientologist so easily and not seeing the traps was my very hign degree of insecurity and its brothers: lack of confidence in myself, very low self esteem, and a NEED for someone that I could look up to that offered me a way out of thosee conditions and others than plagued me.
When I now take a look at Scientology, when I look at Ron, its leaders, its current members and their conduct, I see myself as I was, I see hugely insecure human beings desperately trying to make Scientology and themselves valuable in the eyes of the world.... and in their eyes. To me, they need to maintain the illusion that Scientology and Ron are the "ONE". For the alternative is having to recognize and admit to the horrible insecurity and need for approval they suffer from and the lies and the scam they are all being a part of.
And when you have empowered Scientology and Ron with the only way out of your misery, with the only way to reach your dreams, with your "soul freedom", and with the condition you will be in for the rest of your eternity, to confront that it has been mostly a scam is quite a move.
I again want to strongly commend you and give you the warmest "soul" hug I can because it feels to me you are operating from your heart in doing this. And that to me, is the best achievement in this life.
Thanks Luis, your thoughts and your support are much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where the EXACT quote "You pulled it in" came from?
ReplyDeleteHow was this quote used in the
WHOLE context?
I never read where Hubbard said it was right. He just said that's the way it is. And if somebody is telling you it's your fault when it isn't, you don't have to agree. If you do, well then it is your fault.
ReplyDelete"... you don't have to agree"?
ReplyDeleteWTF?
This is core Scientology teachings here. The "Overt-Motivator Sequence" is law in Scientology. In it Hubbard says, unequivocally, that you are at fault for anything bad that happens to you!
To practice Scientology, you must agree with everything Hubbard spouted, including this.
Hubbard specifically and categorically says that you are always at fault.
So it isn't a question of whether a Scientologist agrees with someone "telling you it's your fault when it isn't" -- of course they agree -- it's Hubbard telling them it's all their fault.
However, your comment is pointless. Of course, strictly speaking, you don't have to agree with Hubbard's statement, but all Scientologists are, in truth, required to.
They have no choice, they must agree that they are at fault for everything bad that happens to them -- letting Hubbard, Scientology and the Church of Scientology totally off the hook.
That's a mental method of controlling all Scientologists' thoughts about bad things happening in Scientology. That's thought control.
And that is my point, isn't it?