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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 13, 2009 - 11:45pm PT
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this book was banned by the seizmologists, too weird:
"Chapter 3
APATHY (0.05)
Apathy. 1. Lack of emotion or feeling. 2. Lack of interest in things generally found ex-
citing, interesting, or moving; indifference.
– The American Heritage Dictionary
"I'm on a different trip now," my young friend said. "Nothing
bothers me; I
just take life as it comes. I've matured a lot in the last few months. I got all those wild
dreams out of my system and now I'm ready to settle down to some serious study.
That's where it's really at."
If I didn't know the tone scale, my friend's assertions of maturity might have
convinced me. But I recalled his sparkling ebullience only four months earlier as he
left for New York City. Confident of his talent, optimistic about the future, he de-
parted with dreams of success. Somewhere in the intervening months, soundlessly
and without fanfare, the bottom dropped out of his world. Someone or something
took away his hope. The philosophic "realization" was a cop-out. He had given up.
Apathy.
When a person suffers a severe loss and cannot express his grief, he restrains
it and goes into Apathy where he may claim that he isn't affected at all. "I didn't want
that part in the play anyway."
Apathy is turned-off. Turned-off to loving, living, hoping, crying, laughing,
dreaming.
A person may drop to any low tone after a loss, but in Apathy he has not
only lost, he knows he will never be able to win again.
This is the most serious of all tone levels. A dangerous state of mind border-
ing on death, it's often suicidal. Life is a herd of elephants and trampled him beyond
help or hope.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF APATHY
If every person in this emotion were curled up in a ball on the floor of a men-
tal institution and labeled "catatonic," you could identify him easily. But you are just
as likely to find him lecturing in a large university and labeled a "brilliant intellectual."
Apathy breaks down into two levels. Deepest Apathy (sometimes called pre-
tended death) is only a gnat's breath above death. He may be in bed, unable to care
for himself, completely withdrawn and suffering hallucinations. People are usually in
this state after an operation or severe accident. He's easy to recognize.
It's the higher level, walking-around-Apathy person we find more deceiving.
He may be barefoot, bearded and freaked out on LSD. He could be wearing the
portly businessman's costume and getting smashed on martinis every afternoon. He
may commit suicide with a gun or wander listlessly across the street against the
light, hoping someone else will do it for him.
"
"I met a talkative Apathy person at a dinner party recently. His tone was re-
flected in nearly every remark. We were talking about cars. He disposed of the sub-
ject with: "The automotive business is dead. It's all over."
When the conversation turned to problems in the construction business, he
said, "The small contractor is dead. He hasn't a chance."
Later we discussed a political problem: "Try to get something like that cor-
rected and you're dead."
The clue to his tone was not only his absolute pessimism, but his frequent use
of the word dead.
Although the Apathy person may be going to classes, doing housework,
making movies, or holding a job, he is usually trying to destroy himself in some
manner.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
The drug addict and the alcoholic are Apathy persons. Don't be misled by any
surface belligerence, maudlin sweetness, or exuberance manifested when he's high.
How is he when he's down? That's the feeling which drives him back to the chemical
escape. He's committing suicide slowly. He's waiting to succumb, but he's going to
stay stoned so it won't hurt so much. Meanwhile the people around him will be frus-
trated, concerned and desperately trying to do something for him. That's a good tip-
off to Apathy; his associates are frazzled beyond endurance from trying (and failing)
to help him.
BEYOND RIGHT AND WRONG
Now and then we find a person in Apathy who thinks he's in a state of seren-
ity. Unable to acknowledge his own feeling of helplessness, he justifies it with schol-
arly discourse. I call this "Intellectual Apathy."
Bill, a college student, told me about his friend who studied many philoso-
phies and religions until he evolved one of his own. The friend lengthily described
his achievement of "ultimate awareness."
Deeply impressed, Bill said, "Now that you've reached this state yourself, I'm
surprised you're not trying to help others to get there too."
"Why should l?" the friend replied. "They're all me anyway."
Everything is beyond right and wrong. He walks around in Apathy and
thinks he's a god.
RESPONSIBILITY
There are certain philosophies (such as Eastern religions) based on the highest
attitudes of the scale; but low-tone people can invert the meaning so that the end
result is Apathy. When any individual or body of thought advocates less activity, lesscommunication, less contact with people or less involvement with living, you can
disregard the erudite labels. It leads toward Apathy.
Other studies and doctrines seem to invite an apathetic outlook. The fatalist
clings to the belief that all events are preordained and human beings are powerless
to change anything ("I'm not even responsible for myself" says Apathy). Their fol-
lowers look to the stars, numbers, colors and crystal balls to indicate their destinies.
People in Apathy are perfect dupes for such hokum.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
When someone considers himself to be totally governed by influences outside
himself, he sits in Apathy. He will accept grievous losses and say with a sigh, "It's
God's will; nothing can be done." "If it was meant to be, it will be." (This is not truly a
religious viewpoint, incidentally, for any religion worthy of the name, offers man a
way out – a salvation.) The Apathy person considers himself less than the stars, the
planets, the baseball scores and the flea on his leg. High on the tone scale a person
feels dangerous to his environment (not full effect of it); he changes the environment
to suit him; he's cause. But the more a person believes himself to be the effect, the
closer he is to Apathy and death.
OWNERSHIP
Low-tone people have peculiar concepts of ownership. At Apathy, however, a
person is close to feeling that he owns nothing. This may be literally true or he may
own many possessions and still run around saying, "There's just no point in owning
anything."
He also thinks others should own nothing. He lets all property decay and rot.
He wastes your time, runs up your utility bills, leaves lights on and motors running,
and casually uses your telephone to call New Zealand. He's quite bewildered if this
bothers you: "You should get rid of all this anyway." A newly rich screen star says: "I
should save money for my old age, but I don't. All the money I've made just slips
away as if it didn't belong to me. I don't feel like doing anything to save myself. I
just let everything happen ."
"I'M POWERLESS"
There are people who brag about not being affected by anything; they're the
emotionally unemployed. This is most extreme in Apathy. Jim, a college student, felt
that life was losing its sparkle; nothing turned him on anymore. He told his friend,
George, he planned to try an LSD trip. Both boys knew that the drug could produce
long-term mental disorders and, up to that point, they had opted to bypass the
whole drug venture. George, however, was also in Apathy at the time, so he said
only, "Well, I don't agree with what you want to do, but I know there is nothing I
can say that will stop you." In a higher tone, George would not have felt powerless;
he would at least try to do something about the situation . The sophisticated Apathy person will claim he's bored: "I'm fed up with life. Nothing is amusing. What can you
do to create excitement in this superficial world?"
"THINGS ARE NEVER REAL"
One year after the first moon landing by American astronauts, a large U.S.
newspaper chain sent reporters to conduct seventeen hundred interviews in com-
munities across the nation, asking for opinions of the event. The newsmen reported
that an extraordinary number of people doubted the reality of the Apollo feat. This
was true particularly among the old and the poor. An elderly Philadelphia woman
thought the moon landing was "staged" on the Arizona desert. An unemployed con-
struction worker in Miami said, "I saw that on television, but I don't believe none of
it. Man's never been on the moon." In a Washington, D. C. ghetto more than half of
the people interviewed expressed doubts about the authenticity of the moon walk.
One man, trying to explain away his emotional attitude, said, "It's all a deliberate ef-
fort to mask problems at home. The people are unhappy, and this takes their minds
off their problems." Things are never real to the Apathy person.
THE GAMBLER
The compulsive gambler is at Apathy. If a person consistently wins he's
higher-tone because he's cause over the game rather than effect. The compulsive
gambler, however, cannot quit any game a winner. When a man gambles away the
rent and grocery money every payday, he's manifesting the Apathy attitude about
ownership: "I'd better not own."
A steamship on a cruise to South America received a report that another ship
nearby was wrecked and on fire. The captain changed course and was the first to
arrive at the flaming ship. Eight hundred passengers and crew members were in the
water, floundering, wet and frightened. They'd lost everything but the clothes they
wore. All of them were saved, however, and passengers crowded on deck where
they watched and participated in the exciting rescue, some of them providing cloth-
ing, and warm quarters for the victims.
Throughout all this activity the gambling casino remained open. A certain
number of hard-core players stayed there, eyes hypnotically fixed on the tables, ap-
parently unaware and unaffected by the real-life drama occurring a few yards out-
side the door. That's Apathy. No other tone would be indifferent to such a moving
experience.
"MAN NEVER CHANGES"
The youngster who understands the tone scale knows whether to accept ad-
vice and ideas from his elders. One day my seventeen-year-old son described a lec-
ture given by one of his high school teachers, who declared, "Man never changes. He
keeps making the same mistakes over and over. He never learns. He will never im-
prove."
"Where's that on the tone scale?" I asked. My son laughed and said, "Apathy, of course." This is another person using
her years of education and experience to support an emotional attitude over which
she has no control.
You can find history and documentation to support every attitude on the
scale. If we fully accepted her "proof," however, no teacher would bother to teach,
no scientist would continue to juggle his test tubes, and I would have stayed in bed
myself today.
SUMMARY
No matter how brilliant he is, no Apathy person can be more than an imita-
tion of the vitality we find in the higher tones.
Let's crawl up a notch . . .
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 14, 2009 - 12:03am PT
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this would be the top of the scale:
"INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM (3.5-4.0)
Our new high school math teacher was speaking carefully, "This is supposed
to be a true story," he said. "A man, sitting in church with his wife, fell asleep and
dreamed he was living in the time of the French Revolution. He was captured and
brought before the guillotine. Death seemed imminent. At just this moment his wife
noticed his closed eyes and drooping head, so she picked up his straw hat and
tapped the back of his neck. Dreaming that this was the blade of the guillotine com-
ing down on him, he died right there in his sleep.
"Now, how do you know this is not really a true story?"
The teacher laughed as he watched us catch on, one by one, to his trick story.
If the man died in his sleep who would know what he was dreaming?
Our introduction to this handsome young man was certainly unusual. The
girls were delighted to be in his class, of course, but we were somewhat apprehen-
sive about that formidable looking geometry textbook.
To our surprise, however, he ignored the text for over a week. Instead, he
spent each class period telling us baffling stories for which we were to find loopholes
or solutions. This was school? Soon we were eagerly anticipating his class and won-
dering what kind of posers we would get each day. After a week of grappling with
strange puzzles – taking them apart, finding flaws, arriving at solutions – we were
convinced that problem solving could be fun. By the time he finally opened the ge-
ometry textbook, we were interested.
That's how a topscale person handles others – by bringing them up to a level
where they become interested. He uses reasoning rather than the emotional persua-
sions used by lower tones ("Do your work or you flunk").
At the top of the scale we find a band ranging from Interest (amusement) to
Enthusiasm (cheerfulness). I've placed them in one chapter because they're similar in
characteristics. The 4.0 is just a little more so. Anyway, when we meet either one of
them, it's such a welcome experience we don't want to waste our time nit-picking
about which tone he's in.
INTEREST
One can become interested in various subjects, of course, at any level of the
tone scale. He may be interested in anything from learning Swahili to looking at
dirty pictures; but this doesn't place him at 3.5 on the scale.
The high-tone person takes an active interest in subjects related to survival.
There's more action, more involvement and more creativity.
He can envision far-reaching plans and ideas that project toward a better fu-
ture for himself and all mankind. His interests may be more novel and of broader
scope than those of the lower-tone person.
He's more of a participant than a spectator. If he takes up sports, he'll excel
because of his fast reaction time.
The 3.5 is capable of maintaining a strong, sustained interest; he doesn't take
up something and drop it a week later (as we see in lower tones).
I once knew a young man who became interested in bird-watching. He was
so enthused with the subject that he learned to recognize every bird call as soon as
he heard it, and within a few months became an expert. Later this same young man
studied karate until he earned the coveted black belt. Before he was twenty years old
he acquired two skills that would give him pleasure and confidence for the rest of his
life. I've known many people twice his age who have dabbled in a dozen subjects
without achieving such proficiency in any of them.
One reason the 3 5 can put more attention onto any subject he's learning is
because he is less introverted. His attention is outside of himself; he wants to be in-
terested rather than interesting.
ENTHUSIASM
This is the tone of the fellow who just won the Irish Sweepstakes (before the
income tax men arrive). He's eager, enthusiastic, cheerful, alive!
Before you get the picture of 4.0 as a perpetually grinning ape whom most of
us would find obnoxious (at least before the first cup of coffee in the mornings, I'd
better explain that he is not constantly bubbling over (that's more likely the phony
bonhomie of the 1.1 or the strange, hysterical glee that may occur on any low tone –
even Apathy). Generally he wakes up with a quiet sense of well-being and looks
forward to carrying out his plans for the future.
He's mobile on the scale – able to experience all emotions as the occasion calls
for them – although he's generally at the top with the volume turned down to a
good-natured cheerfulness.
He's an active person who inspires others to action. If he's not the boss yet, he
probably will be.
He enjoys working and is willing to be responsible for a large sphere of activ-
ity. You won't find him in squalid quarters; he recognizes and enjoys the good
things in living. Here's a fully sane human being.
He's free from having to take sides. He finds no need to fight; but he defi-
nitely will rather than tolerate injustices. Since he doesn't need approval from others,
he is able to do things courageously on a basis of personal conviction.
He can spend time with low-tone people without getting depressed, compul-
sively sympathetic or cruel.
There was a San Francisco men's club which collected money and food each
year for a needy family in the community. One year, after such a family was se-
lected, Fred, an up-tone member of the club, said, "You know, I don't mind helping
this fellow, but I'd much rather see him earn his own money."
Fred followed up on his idea and learned that the impoverished man was laid
off, but sincerely wanted to work. With the cooperation of the other members, Fred
helped the man set up a lawn care business. The man soon came upscale and started
adding customers. Within two years he owned two trucks, employed several helpers
and ran a busy, thriving business – one that benefited the whole community. That's
upscale help.
Having no need to control or dominate people to satisfy his own ego, the 4.0
uses his enthusiasm and confidence to inspire others to reach higher levels and do
things for themselves. His tremendous personal power is a calming influence to a
worried or troubled area.
Because of his fast reaction time, he avoids accidents. He's excellent at sports
or any project he undertakes. He generally enjoys good health, because he doesn't
recklessly ignore the rules of good body care.
COMMUNICATION
A high-tone person makes himself understood easily. He's capable of com-
municating deeply-felt ideas, but he does so with discrimination. He prefers dealing
with constructive facts, rather than destructive ones. While a lower-tone doom
salesman is reciting all the shocking news, he will be pointing to the survival activi-
ties occurring. He'll mention a book that will help you make more money. He'll de-
scribe a new development for making sturdier cars. He prefers discussing solutions,
rather than clucking about the horribleness of it all.
He listens to others and understands them easily (provided the communica-
tion is understandable and does not exceed his educational level) and he can hear
low-tone people without becoming upset, critical or derogatory .
My son told me about an upscale teacher who periodically gave the students a
free discussion period in which they could make suggestions or comments about the
class. One day a girl peevishly complained, "I don't think you let us talk enough."
Not finding it necessary to argue or defend himself, he replied calmly: "Hmm.
I think you're right. I often talk too much"
RELAY
If a high-tone fellow delegates someone to give him a full report on a situa-
tion, he'll expect truthful facts and, if possible, a suggestion for rectifying any nega-
tive conditions. He will not accept a report based on generalities, innuendoes and
assumptions that merely concludes: ''The world is going to hell in a handbasket." The
3.5 will call such a person on the carpet. He resents and strikes back at unnecessary
"bad news" reports.
At 4.0 the person simply cuts a vicious or slanderous communication line. He
doesn't absorb it or relay it. If possible, he'll raise the tone of the originator. Other-
wise, he'll probably just cease accepting communication from that person.
When the 3.0 gets mad at a newspaper for biased reportings he'll write a blis-
tering letter to the editor. The 4.0 will most likely cancel his subscription and look for
a more upscale paper.
AS A FRIEND
His magnetic personality attracts people without effort, and he'll be loved by
almost everyone. Some low-tone types, however, will get upset around 4.0 because
they can't knock him down to their level. People who can move easily on the tone
scale will find him inspiring. His high tone is contagious; they want to be around him
so they can catch it themselves.
Be friends with him, hire him, elect him, promote him, work for him. You
can't go wrong.
ETHICS
If you are playing cards with him and accidentally expose your hand, he
won't look. He's honest. He doesn't subscribe to the get-away-with-what-you-can
philosophy. He actually refines ethics beyond those demanded by his group. He
doesn't need laws, rules or policies to force him to be honest.
You can trust him with your money, your reputation or your wife.
ON THE JOB
A person who can assume no responsibility feels horrible.
''Full responsibility is a very light-hearted thing.''
– L. Ron Hubbard, Philadelphia Doctorate Course
If Enthusiasm isn't chairman of the board, he should be. He enjoys his work
and takes large responsibilities easily. He's willing to take command or take orders
(although he'll rebel against executing non-survival orders).
He works with persistence toward constructive goals. if someone tells him it
can't be done or "We don't have any," a person in this tone band will bypass the ob-
structing individual and find another way to accomplish his purpose. I observed a
topscale man recently calling a New York supplier to order materials for one of his
machines. The supplier's order department was manned by a Grief/Apathy person
who said, "Well, I don't know if you're ever going to get these supplies. We're out of
them and they've been on order for ages. That machine is obsolete now, you know."
"Are you telling me the company just stopped making supplies for the ma-
chines that are out in the field?"
"Well, it's coming to that. We aren't getting our shipments like we used to."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. You'll just have to get a new machine, I guess."
"Would I be able to trade this one in?" "Well, you won't get much money for
it. After all, it's obsolete. "
"This is ridiculous; my machine is still working fine." "That's all I can tell you.
There's nothing more I can do."
He hung up in disgust; but he didn't stay upset long. Unwilling to accept this
stop, he phoned another supplier who promptly filled the order. A lower-tone per-
son would have succumbed to the bad news without question. The upscale guy just
doesn't give up so easily.
He tends toward higher goals than people lower on the scale. If you hire him,
you'd better plan on promoting him; he won't settle for mediocrity. While he's not
grasping or greedy, he's more capable of owning than people lower on the scale. He
enjoys possessions, can easily make a fortune and usually embraces plentiful goals of
survival. Lower on the scale, we find people who think they would like to have more
money or more possessions and sometimes they acquire them. More often, how-
ever, they cannot permit themselves to own much. This is no problem to the high-
tone person. He will realize that survival on a bare necessity level is unsafe, and it
will be intolerable to him. If it appears that he needs five hundred dollars a month in
order to provide the minimum needs for himself and his family, he'll get busy and
earn two thousand dollars a month.
He can tolerate larger effects on himself than lowertone people. This means
that he may lose a fortune; but he's able to bounce back and earn another one. Al-
though he's frequently attacked by downscale people, he fights such attacks (if nec-
essary) and recovers easily.
LOVE AND FAMILY
If you can find such a spouse, take him (or her) and don't look back. You
must be doing something right.
Here at the highest level of the scale, we find constancy and a natural instinct
for monogamy. The 4.0 has a high enjoyment of sex; but a moral reaction to it. Al-
though he loves with a spontaneous and free exuberance, we won't find the dissi-
pated love at 4.0, because at this level a person is more likely to sublimate the sexual
drive into creative thought and energy.
The 4.0 is extremely interested in children. He not only cares for their mental
and physical well-being, he is concerned about the society in which they will live. He
is interested in efforts that improve the culture, so that youngsters will have a better
chance for survival in the future.
THE EXPANDED SCALE
Ron Hubbard has plotted a second, expanded tone scale which goes below 0.0
and above 4.0. it relates to the spiritual entity, however, and to understand it one
must know and embrace the religious philosophy of Scientology. One actually ap-
pears on both scales. But this book deals with the human being, who will always befound somewhere between 0.0 and 4.0. A chart of the expanded scale is available to
those who are interested (see list in the back).
SUMMARY
He's alive and he likes it. Neither falsely modest nor egotistically inflated, he
knows what he can do and has an honest evaluation of his own worth. He enjoys
being himself.
He's mobile on the tone scale. He can suffer a loss and bounce back quickly.
When he is deliberately stopped or suppressed, he fights with fervor, although he
holds no long-term grudges.
This fellow is no rubber stamp, but he'll follow orders without an argument
provided they do not compromise his own integrity. He's both independent and
cooperative. He can stay on good terms with others without surrendering his own
principles.
If he resolves to save money, lose weight or stop playing the horses, he'll do
it.
He's a lighthearted man with a free mind, capable of changing viewpoints and
looking at new concepts. He can act spontaneously and intuitively. He's liable to
follow his hunches – and be right.
Can you remember the last day of school? You walk out of the dreary build-
ing. Gone are the deadlines, those tardy themes, the verb conjugations, the heavy
homework and the dull lectures. There's a tremendous relief. You're so light you
could float through the air with the dandelion seeds. Nothing is serious; the future
looks gloriously bright. You feel magnanimous and the world is yours to explore, to
love, to play in and to laugh with.
That's the top of the scale.
You just can't buy that sort of thing at the corner drugstore.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 14, 2009 - 12:39am PT
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This is by far, the funnest emotion to act out on.
This is everything good in life, right here.
This is where the fun is at:
"Chapter 9
COVERT HOSTILITY (1.1)
Covert: l) Covered or covered over; sheltered. 2) concealed; hidden; secret. Hostile: 1)
Of or pertaining to an enemy. 2) feeling or showing enmity; antagonistic.
– American Heritage Dictionary
The main difficulty with a 1.1 is that he doesn't wear a neon sign telling you
he's a 1.1.
It's a cover-up tone – the most difficult one on the scale to recognize. After
you do spot one, don't expect the next 1.1 you meet to bear much resemblance.
HIS MANY DISGUISES
He may be that hearty buffoon, "the life of the party." She's the inconspicuous
little old maid down the street who never forgets your birthday. He could be the
jovial, back-slapping salesman. The smooth con man. The witty, entertaining gossip
columnist. The swaggering office Don Juan who might be the smiling lady next door
who knows all the delicious little stories about the neighbors. He's the lover who is
gay and tenderly passionate one minute and disdainfully sarcastic the next. He's the
clever impostor who passed himself off as a surgeon for fifteen years. He's the gen-
tle-mannered homosexual. Or that pleasant young man who "never said an unkind
word to anyone" but was just convicted of seven hideous sex crimes. Or that news-
paper reporter who appeared so friendly until his story (full of slimy innuendoes)
was in print. And here's where we find that nice bank president who embezzled
100,000 and skipped off to Brazil with the belly dancer. He could be the sensitive
poet, the suave millionaire or the charming vagrant who lives by his wits and hasn't
done a day's work in twenty years.
Wherever he turns up, he'll be in disguise. If you're generous in character,
you may be tempted to treat him leniently.
Don't.
At 1.1 we find the emotion Ron Hubbard has described as "the most danger-
ous and wicked level on the tone scale." (Science of Survival)
He's halfway between Fear (which motivates his tone) and Anger (which he
must conceal). His emotion dictates that he smile and put up a good front at all times
since he "knows" we mustn't ever become angry. At this position we find flagrant
lying in order to avoid real communication. Such lying may be in the form of pre-
tended agreement ("what a marvelous idea"), flattery ("that's a darling dress, my
dear") or appeasement ("now don't worry; I'll take care of everything").
The 1.1 constructs a false facade, an artificial personality. He's the cheerful
hypocrite. AS A FRIEND
You won't need enemies. You'd be better off as a recluse. Don't trust him
with your money, your reputation or your wife. He's a person who hates but is un-
able to say he hates. He deals in treachery and expects to be forgiven. He'll tell you
he stood up for you when he actually did his best to destroy your reputation. He'll
flatter you quite insincerely while he waits for his moment to do you in. And he'll
find more ways of doing you in than I can possibly catalog in one chapter.
The 1.1 expects special privileges or exemptions, He'll be the one most likely
to assume that he can break the rules – of a marriage, a company, a group or soci-
ety.
We often like the 1.1 at first because he pretends to be so high-tone. But even-
tually (unless we're in Sympathy) we grow to despise him. Our loathing, however, is
sometimes hard to explain because we can seldom pin down exactly what this doll is
doing that's so despicable.
While he's arrogant, he's such an accomplished actor that we may be deceived
by his put-on of humility Having command of all the tones below his, he uses them
without conscience to convince us he's harmless and means well. In this way, he ma-
nipulates people, always seeking hidden control. He may weep, plead, propitiate or
sympathize; he may pose contempt or disdain. But through all the histrionics he is
trying to nullify others to get them to the level where they can be used.
If you get mad at him, he usually drops to Propitiation (goes out of his way to
do things for you or brings you gifts) or Grief ("I didn't mean any harm...") in order
to worm his way back into your confidence. Count on him to know your soft spots
and to play on them with consummate skill.
CONVERSATION
Here's a fast way to peg a 1.1: he seeks to introvert you. This generally occurs
in the first few seconds of meeting him. He'll say, "You've gained some weight,
haven't you?" or "I can't figure out why you look so different..." On the phone, he
may open the conversation with: ''Your voice sounds funny; do you have a cold?"
Under the guise of friendly concern, these remarks are meant to push your attention
into yourself (and away from him). Soon you'll be explaining yourself or worrying:
"What's the matter with me?"
On meeting, the 1.1 nearly always tries to speak first in order to grasp control
of the conversation. If he gets his own darts in first, there is less chance for some-
thing to be thrown at him. I once introduced two 1.1 men to each other. As I did so, I
wondered who would win the inevitable rush to get in the first word. Well, they both
started talking at once, and they kept talking for at least a full minute, neither hear-
ing a single word said by the other. They were well-matched.
Covert Hostility fills his conversation with small barbs, thinly veiled as com-
pliments ("this cake is delicious, almost as good as anything you could buy in a
store"). It's a 1.1 who uttered the classic put-down: ''That's such a lovely dress you're
wearing. I've admired it for years."
He feels a continual nervous necessity to reject almost any remark. If you're
trying to make a sincere statement or present an upscale idea, he'll query it, "I see
what you mean, but..." He'll helpfully correct your pronunciation and word choices
(he's the semantic fanatic), start picking lint off your shoulder, or interject a joke at
your expense (usually with puns; he loves them). He uses any conceivable method
of cutting your communication to ribbons. Of course (ha ha) he didn't mean any
harm. Just being friendly.
HONESTY
He lies when there's no reason to lie. Facts are confused, twisted or hidden,
while he noisily advertises his honesty, ethics and virtue. He may be giving you his
"sacred word" while he wields his automatic knife-in-the-back trickery.
If you challenge his lies, he'll probably tell you he was being "subtle."
THE SPY
The high-tone person might play the role of spy and do it well (although he
does not enjoy subterfuge). The 1.1, however, is a natural spy. If you want to make
this fellow come to life, present him with an inviting situation that requires guile,
cunning, deviousness or perversion. Give him a justification for window peeping,
eavesdropping, snooping or secret investigating and he's fully aware.
When there's a straight course for doing something, the 1.1 won't use it; it
doesn't occur to him. He'll think of a devious method for doing the same thing. I
once worked in an office where the 1.1 office manager forbade dumping ashtrays in
the wastebaskets. I assumed this rule was motivated by fastidiousness (or a con-
science about fire prevention) until I learned that every night he searched through all
the wastebaskets before they were emptied (even piecing together torn bits of pa-
per), so he could find out what was "really going on" in the office. He relished dis-
covering some juicy secret in this manner. Of course, the word got around, so the
staff started amusing themselves by planting all sorts of wild, fictitious scraps of
"evidence" in with the discards.
Although 1.1 conceals his own motives and activities, he is strongly compelled
to reveal secrets of others. This is the tone of the traitor and the subversive. Having
no regard for privacy, he thrives on the chance to expose people (this is even more
prevalent in the next tone: No Sympathy). The Covert Hostility who is having a "se-
cret" love affair will do his best to see that evidence is left around so that people find
out, especially where this creates trouble for his partner.
He's a genius at extracting information from others. Several years ago I
worked for a company on some secret research. Only three of us knew the nature of
the project and none of us was an indiscriminate talker. Therefore, I was surprised
one day, lunching with the switchboard operator, when she casually said, "Well, I
understand you found..." She was so nearly right that it was hard to believe she was
only guessing. I denied any knowledge of the subject, so she said, "Oh, come on,
don't kid me. Everyone knows what you're working on." I realized later that she must have listened in on phone conversations for part of her information; the rest
was conjecture.
Even the speculations of a 1.1 are done with a blatant pretense that he knows
all; this way he frequently lures his unsuspecting victim into telling too much.
THE MYSTERY TECHNIQUE
The 1.1 not only enjoys probing a mystery, he likes to create one. He can
even use a knowing, enigmatic smile as a put-down. I once saw a 1.1 looking over
the manuscript prepared by a friend of mine, while my friend eagerly awaited
comments. When he finished, the 1.1 merely smiled slyly and said, "I'm reserving
judgment on it. I'll be thinking it over."
This was an insidious blow to the author's pride, but he recovered when I in-
dicated the tone level of his would-be critic. A clever and vicious way to entrap a
creative person – pin his attention in a mystery.
Implying hidden knowledge is a common device of the gossip. A person of
higher tone may pass on news of mutual friends, but he tries to stay with facts. The
1.1, however, embellishes the facts with additives which sound true. "You know Joe
and Phyllis are splitting up?" That may be a fact. But Mabel (the 1.1) will add: "Just
between you and me, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that she was running around
with Bill on the sly." Her knowing manner suggests that she's certain of more facts
than she's telling.
THE GOSSIP
The chronic gossip who enjoys shredding a reputation with half-truths, sup-
positions and speculations is a 1.1. You may meet her draped over the backyard
fence; you'll find him leaning on the office water cooler. It's often the tone of the re-
porter, interviewer and talk show m.c. – the one who uses his charm to gain the con-
fidence of the interviewee before he slices him up. It requires stoic discipline to resist
the sly questioning techniques of the 1.1. Many years ago I moved into a flat and
purchased the furniture of the former tenants. A short time later, the upstairs neigh-
bor dropped in. "I see you bought their furniture," she said.
I nodded and changed the subject. A few minutes later she brought the con-
versation back to the furniture: "I understand they were asking fifteen hundred dol-
lars for it . . . " The statement hung in the air like a question, creating a perfect op-
portunity for me to correct or confirm her statement. Having met her kind before,
however, I decided to out 1.1 her, so I simply murmured, "Really?" and changed the
subject.
BUSINESS
The 1.1 will jeopardize a business. He cunningly infects an entire office, turn-
ing people against each other and all of them against the company. He's so covert
that he's nearly invisible as the source of bad news and general frustration in the en-
vironment. Although he can do a job, and usually manages to appear hardworking,
it's often a bluff. Unable to tolerate being the effect of anyone, he evades by covert means. Ask him to do a job and he says, "Sure, I'll be glad to do it," but it never gets
done. He pretends to take orders; but there's no intention to follow through.
RESPONSIBILITY
Covert Hostility is not responsible but he pretends to be. I went to a charm-
ing modern wedding out on the West Coast where there were no ushers. A 1.1 rela-
tive of the groom took it upon herself to stand at the door telling incoming guests:
"Since apparently there aren't to be any ushers, I guess you'll just have to find your
own seat." Speaking with acid emphasis, she appeared to be assuming responsibil-
ity; but her intent was destructive. Clearly, she wanted to make certain the guests
knew this wedding was "improperly planned." If a high-tone person noticed that ar-
riving guests were confused (and I don't think they were in this case), he might say,
"Just take a seat wherever you like" No vicious implications.
EGO
The 1.1 is so preoccupied with making an impression on people, his need for
recognition puts him on stage all of the time. Never relaxing, he's an actor, con-
stantly studying his audience to see if everyone is impressed. It's difficult for a 1.1 to
be an audience for long.
In the classroom, he's often the first person to pose a question after the lec-
ture (he'll interrupt if permitted): "Professor, don't you think . . ." He's not interested
in getting an answer; he merely wants to establish his brilliance. The question is
posed for its effect.
Many 1.1s want attention so much they're immune to embarrassment. I once
knew one who dressed in the most outlandish clothes imaginable. He drifted around
looking like a psychedelic bad trip and frequently bragged: "Everybody noticed me."
This same person relished any opportunity to make remarks designed to shock eve-
ryone in the room. There are other 1.1s, incidentally, who dress and speak most con-
servatively.
When he can't get into the limelight himself, he fastens onto creative, success-
ful people and works unceasingly to knock them downscale. We find 1.1s clustered
around the perimeter of show business. He is often the non performing critic who
seeks hidden control over some area of aesthetics so he can tell the talented person
viciously destructive things "for your own good."
When he fails to get close to the winners, he brags that he is anyway. He
knows the big movie stars. The President asks his advice. He pretends he's having
love affairs with the most beautiful women.
PERSISTENCE
Because of a strong compulsion to play the big shot, the 1.1 often connives his
way to the higher echelons of business, politics, clubs or social groups. He's a short-
cutter, however, with such idle persistence that he's rarely proficient in any line. In-stead, he learns only enough to fake his way to an influential spot. He wants the ap-
plause without ever learning to dance.
He's the dilettante who dabbles in music and gives it up. He studies painting
for a month and loses interest. Too flighty to concentrate on a subject long enough
to become accomplished, he prefers to make a cursory study after which he uses
guile and chicanery to pass himself off as an expert.
THE CRIMINAL
All criminals fall below 2.0 on the scale (as long as they are still criminals) and
a great many of them are 1.1s. Even when a Covert Hostility person is not actively
breaking the law, he is unethical and dishonest.
He has a tendency toward suicidal actions; but he is actively seeking the death
of his entire environment ("I guess I'll succumb but maybe I'll take you with me").
Here we have murder by slow erosion of individuals and culture, each harmful ac-
tion slyly masked with lengthy reasoning. Here we find the people who most pro-
mote (and most enjoy pornography.) Here is the silky pimp who talks the young
girl into becoming a prostitute. Here is the cagey pusher who convinces teenagers
that they should "get with it," and that drugs are harmless anyway.
RELAY OF COMMUNICATION
He prefers to relay only the most malicious communication. Good news is
quickly forgotten or deliberately suppressed. If you send a special bargain notice to a
customer and there's a 1.1 opening the mail, he'll see that the notice never gets to the
buyer in time. Covert Hostility people frequently position themselves where they
can control incoming communications. This not only gratifies their snooping in-
stincts, it permits hidden control.
One morning I observed a 1.1 handling a small business establishment for the
absent owner. It was a busy day with customers, orders and inquiries constantly
flowing in. An irate workman called; a foreman was not on the job and couldn't be
located. A few minutes later the owner phoned in. "Oh boy," our dream girl reported
with relish, "things are really a mess around here today. . ."
She dwelled lengthily on the one "trouble" call, completely neglecting to men-
tion all the good news and normal business.
SENSE OF HUMOR
He enjoys no real sense of humor, but at this tone you'll most often hear the
compulsive laughter that burbles out when there is nothing at all amusing. We may
be discussing the weather or the ball scores and the 1.1 will titter or chuckle mean-
inglessly. He laughs at a joke – probably longer than everyone else – but it's not
really funny to him. Nothing is.
I've known many 1.1s who were not practical jokers; but I've never known a
practical joker who wasn't a 1.1. They delight in making elaborate, secret prepara-tions designed to fool, embarrass, expose, belittle or humiliate the victim. All in fun,
of course.
The manager of a local insurance company told me of a time, early in his ca-
reer, when he was transferred to an office in another state. Apparently some ethnic
conviction caused people in that particular area to shun life insurance policies, al-
though they would happily buy annuities. Unaware of this, our man spent two frus-
trating weeks trying to sell life insurance; but he failed completely. Bewildered and
depressed, he described his experiences to the men in the office. Finally, they dis-
closed the secret of selling in that city. Permitting him to lose for awhile was part of
the "initiation" for a new man. Although my friend failed to appreciate the joke, the
1.1 boys in the office considered it hilarious.
He acts amazed when you don't laugh at his sly capers. If you get annoyed,
he expects you to forgive his peccadilloes.
SEX
You could write a whole book on the sexual characteristics of the 1.1 (and
many people have). Some of them are strait-laced to the point of prudishness and
blatantly insist on morals for others. But also at this level we most frequently find
promiscuity, perversion, sadism and every irregular practice. Strangely, the 1.1
doesn't actually enjoy the sex act itself, but is hectically anxious about it. He'll be the
strong advocate of "free love."
The excessively promiscuous person is nearly always a 1.1. His lack of persis-
tence shows up in the inability to enjoy a long-term, meaningful relationship with
one individual. He constantly seeks sexual pleasure through the new and different.
Such people are dangerous to a society because their kinky behavior is conta-
gious. Free love and promiscuity are danger signals which should be heeded if a race
is to go forward. Such activities indicate a covert reversal of the sanctity of love and
marriage. There are now so many publications devoted exclusively to advocating,
encouraging and glamorizing promiscuity, that the upscale person may fee! out-
numbered. He begins to question his natural instinct for fidelity and constancy and
wonders if he's old-fashioned.
Today's frank confrontation of problems related to abortion, birth control
and enlightened sexual adjustment is much saner than the Victorian priggishness
that clouded such issues for many years. However, harbingers of the "liberated age"
(usually the 1.1s of the press and periodicals) would have us believe that this means
anything goes. With glib irresponsibility, they report on man's most debased activities
and ignore the possibility that their own choice of "news" will be a corroding influ-
ence.
The 1.1 can be the sweetest-talking lover on the tone scale, but as a long-term
partner, he's most harmful. Very likely he'll cheat and/or insidiously undermine his
spouse's confidence with all manner of subterfuge. He won't be satisfied until his
partner is reduced to Apathy and all dreams are gone.
HOMOSEXUALS Recently a friend wrote me about observing a group of homosexuals who
lived near him: "I think they're called 'gay' for good reason," he said, "I've never
heard so much laughter as I have living with these cats around. There's an almost
constant level of superficial gaiety and happiness."
This is the forced "happiness" of the 1.1.
Homosexuals may be fearful, sympathetic, propitiative, griefy or apathetic.
Occasionally they manage an ineffectual tantrum. But home base is 1.1.
Homosexuals don't practice love; 1.1s can't. Their relationships consist of: 1)
brief, sordid and impersonal meetings or 2) longer arrangements punctuated by
dramatic tirades, discords, jealousies and frequent infidelity. It could hardly be oth-
erwise since the tone is made up of suspicion and hate, producing a darling sweet-
ness interspersed with petty peevishness. Their "love" turns to deep contempt even-
tually.
PARENTS
Although the 1.1 detests children, he's sometimes capable of playing the role
of parent convincingly. There is always the subtle, damaging inclination, however,
no matter how benignly masked. We see little concern for the future of the child. We
see careless family actions (such as adultery) which tend to split up the family and
destroy the security on which the child's future depends.
Sometimes the 1.1 takes good physical care of a child, but is guilty of emo-
tional and moral neglect. This tone always tries to stop the child from being angry,
thus suppressing him below 1.5 on the scale. He's excessively concerned with the
child's appearance and manners – his front. Ultimately, he tries to push the child to
apathetic compliance. At best, the Covert Hostility parent begets a Covert Hostility
child.
Since it's unpopular to dislike children, the 1.1 may hide his cruelty behind
playful jokes. He will tease, criticize and gently harass a child to the point of tears.
One time a saleswoman calling at the door jokingly said to my youngest son, "I'm
going to take you home with me." He looked at her as if she'd lost her marbles and
wandered off to play. She related that earlier the same day she told a little girl she
was going to take her baby brother home; the little girl burst into tears. It is typical
of the 1.1, that having just produced a totally alarming effect on one child, she was
now attempting to use the same technique on mine. Under the guise of joking
friendliness, she wanted to hurt the youngsters.
SUMMARY
In a safe, upscale environment, the 1.1 may come up to 1.5. But generally
speaking, he is incapable of Anger. Somewhere in the past, losing his temper became
so dangerous that he is now afraid to do so. The animosity is there, however, con-
stantly squeezing out beneath the veneer of good fellowship. If he could blow his
top and get it out of his system, he might move up the scale and become a nice per-
son. But as long as he is unable to express himself in direct confrontation, he works
secretly to injure and destroy. If you're uncertain whether a person is 1.1, notice how you feel with him. Do
you get thrown off balance? Feel self-conscious? Worry about whether you're witty
enough, cool enough, sophisticated enough?
This is a common social tone. People of higher or lower levels will adopt a
somewhat false politeness for superficial contacts. Such "good manners," however,
do not carry the destructive intention of the chronic 1.1.
The tones below this are more destructive (especially for the poor chaps who
are in them); but they are weak. Unless your relationship is very personal, they will
have little influence on you. The 1.1, however, can seldom be ignored. He impinges.
He makes his presence known. The more able you are, the more likely he will in-
sinuate himself into your space, your time and your life – as jovial as the deadly vi-
rus that invades your bloodstream and lays you up in bed for six weeks.
Several ways of handling a 1.1 will be discussed in later chapters, but probably
the best advice is this: get him out of your environment. Don't bother being subtle
about it. He's insensitive to hints, incapable of embarrassment. He'll keep coming
back with the persistence of a fly on a sticky summer day unless you bluntly tell
him – perhaps several times – that you don't want his company. Once you do this,
naturally, he'll talk about you behind your back. But, don't kid yourself, he's been
talking about you all along anyway.
Remember that beneath that pixie twinkle thumps a heart of solid granite." (uh oh...)
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Evel
Trad climber
the cliffs of insanity
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May 14, 2009 - 01:31am PT
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I live for the day that I meet Cruise so I can tell him that I'm sorry about Goose.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 14, 2009 - 03:01am PT
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OK, you are in Sympathy, or a 0.9d
Read up on yourself:
"Chapter 7
SYMPATHY (0.9)
Sympathy: A relationship or affinity between persons or things in which whatever
affects one correspondingly affects the other. The act of or capacity for sharing or under-
standing the feelings of another person. A feeling or expression of pity or of sorrow for the
distress of another.
– The American Heritage Dictionary
Maxwell was a cheerful, optimistic man who plodded off to a regular job each
day and spent every night writing short stories. These he sent off to the popular
magazines. Although he did sell two stories, he acquired a huge collection of rejec-
tion slips. He persisted, however. One day, he promised himself, I'll quit that dull job
and write all the time.
Meanwhile, he married a lovely girl who was kind and understanding. He
knew she would "stand by him" through everything. And she certainly did. Every
time he received a rejection slip, she said, "Poor darling. They don't appreciate your
talent."
One day he came home to find four of his favorite stories returned. Slumping
dejectedly in the chair he moaned, "I guess I just don't have what it takes."
His tender wife sat on the arm of his chair to comfort him. "Now, dear,
you've just been working too hard. You need a rest. Why don't you take a vaca-
tion?"
So he did take a vacation – from writing. Maxwell now spends his evenings
glumly watching television and drinking beer. His sweet wife understands why he
gave up his ambitions and consoles him: "You tried so hard, and you are a good
writer. I'm sure the only people who get published nowadays are the ones who
know the editors personally."
That's Sympathy. She's a darling. And she's deadly.
The only trouble looming in this chapter is with the definition of the word
Sympathy. So let's clear that up first.
We say "we're in complete sympathy with each other" when we're talking
about the closest possible harmony with someone. We say "he's sympathetic to our
cause" when referring to a person who's smart enough to agree with our own ideas.
And is there any one of us with a character so stoic that we don't welcome a sympa-
thetic person around to soothe us when someone has stolen our little red wagon,
our lover or our knee warmers (depending on which stage of this game we're play-
ing)?
Sympathy, as we generally use the word, can mean a high toned empathy
and accord, the charitableness and understanding of the big-hearted, a shaft of warm
sunlight slicing through the murk. However, we're talking something else here. The .9 is a counterfeit. He doesn't choose to be kind; he's chronically sympa-
thetic. He can't do anything but commiserate.
FEELING TOGETHER
The prominent manifestation of this emotion is obsessive agreement. We're in
the Fear band here and it is Fear that dominates the .9. So at this position of the scale,
Sympathy is not valor, but cowardice, stemming from a basic fear of people. He's
excessively afraid of hurting others. He's compulsively "understanding" and "reason-
able" about all the lowest-tone unfortunates of the world. He's the person who's
"reasonable" about the axe murderer. He'll be understanding about the toadying
leech.
Sympathy means "feeling together," so if one were sympathetic with a high-
tone person, everything would be glorious; he'd feel high-tone. But the person at .9
seldom achieves more than a superficial tolerance of upscale people and conditions.
He is most comfortable when he can sympathize with Apathy and Grief. Of course,
his "feeling together" causes this chameleon to wobble drunkenly through the low
tones always somewhere between complacent tenderness and tears.
He looks harmless. And that's just how he wants to look. He's desperately
trying to ward off blame. "See how understanding I am?" "See how I wouldn't hurt
anybody?" His addiction to praise and fear of blame make him compulsively under-
standing.
It was a quiet, pleasant party. We were exchanging ideas about the future of
religion when Casper – a new arrival – interrupted contemptuously: "Surely you've
read Schemerhorn's theory on penalties and predicaments?"
No one had, but he rambled on interspersing his complicated monologue
with obscure references. When he ran out of breath, we picked up our conversation
again. Someone said, "I think most people need to believe in something, whether or
not they call it religion. So if . . . "
Sneeringly, Casper cut in: "That's just infantile thinking! In my opinion, there's
only one intelligent viewpoint. Vosgarten's treatise on the majestic obsession covers
the whole concept. . . " After enduring two hours of Casper's rude arrogance and
unintelligible speeches, an aggressive member of the party challenged him: "Why
can't you just say what you want to say, man? We don't understand you. Do you
believe that?"
"Well, it doesn't fit into my model of reference. It's like Wumvoogen says.. . "
"Don't get started again. I'm trying to tell you that we can't understand you.
You don't make sense. You've monopolized the conversation and you haven't said
anything. Furthermore, you don't listen to anything the rest of us say. What's the
matter with you that you can't communicate?"
To our amazement, Casper's defenses collapsed and his eyes filled with tears.
Although everyone felt some compassion for him (and eased the conversa-
tion back to neutral grounds), only one compulsive Sympathy person emerged. A pretty young woman named Judy, silent until now, leaned toward him, "Casper,"
she said, "I see beautiful qualities in you."
"I can't believe you mean that."
"Of course, I mean it."
"Oh, people say those things, but they don't follow through. It takes more
than words to convince me."
"I want you to believe me. I mean it sincerely."
I could see the beginnings of a complicated and regrettable relationship here.
Judy saw nothing "beautiful" about Casper in his moments of boorish arrogance. It
required his defenseless state of Grief to bring her to life. The ultimate cohesion be-
tween this pair would be about as inspired as a glutinous mass of day-old spaghetti .
BEHIND EVERY FAILURE
Someone once said that behind every successful man there's a woman. What
no one said (until Ron Hubbard uncovered this emotion) is that behind every up-
scale man who goes downhill and fails, there's probably a sympathetic woman. No
high-tone man ever broke down from mere hard work or even a few setbacks. He
can be crushed, however, by the slow, eroding benevolence of a Sympathy person
who "helps" by supplying infinite justifications for his failures.
Sympathy is so devastating because he is telling the low-tone person: "The
helplessness you feel about yourself is so justified that I feel it too."
No one needs that kind of assistance; it strengthens the person's problems in-
stead of his ability to solve problems. It takes responsibility away from the individ-
ual. "Poor you. The world isn't treating you right."
The high-tone person (especially if he understands the tone scale) would say,
"Well, this is most unfortunate; but let's take a look and see what went wrong. You
can go out and try it again." But Sympathy loves company, so he doesn't help some-
one recover from a loss and go back to win. He can't; there wouldn't be anyone to
spend his Sympathy on.
The high-tone person sees a drowning man and throws him a life line. The
Sympathy person jumps in and drowns with the victim.
INFLUENCE ON LOW-TONE PEOPLE
We may find ourselves liking Sympathy better than the more aggressive
people between 1.1 and 2.0 on the scale. He's not throwing barbs at us. He's not de-
manding that we change. He's not excessively critical. If we need to lay the head
down for a good cry, he's right in there with a velvet-cushioned shoulder. It feels so
comfortable to have someone who accepts us uncritically in our most unlovely mo-
ments (it's probably quite similar to the sensation of drowning).
But, he's ineffectual. He does nothing to improve conditions. The upscale per-
son says "You're hurt; we'll patch it up." But .9 moves in on the same wavelength saying, "Oh, you're so tired. We'll have to take care of you." There's a deadly time-
lessness about that. He doesn't say "cure." He says "take care of."
Sympathy (as well as Propitiation) is most comfortable around sick people.
And if they're not sick already, he'll help them along. If the person on the receiving
end of all this kindness becomes convinced that he needs to be cared for, he remains
at the bottom of the scale.
The .9 is too afraid of hurting others to do anything effective. He just agrees
about how terrible it all is. A high-tone person is not afraid of hurting others for a
just cause; he's able to take any necessary actions to benefit the greatest number. But
Sympathy, instead of curing the alcoholic, sits down and gets drunk with him.
Don't work yourself into a lather trying to figure out whether a person is at
Sympathy or Propitiation. Although each tone is slightly different in character, they
intertwine like two tangled coat hangers. Sympathy often leads, automatically, to
Propitiation. Mother says, "It's too cold out for you to walk (Sympathy). I'll drive
you to school (Propitiation)." The student says, "It's too bad you fell asleep during
the lectures. Here, you can copy my notes."
THE CRIME OF SYMPATHY
The crime of Sympathy is the crime of omission – the crime of not handling,
not controlling, not disciplining, not providing strength. His pity and leniency
merely reinforce low tones.
He's quite destructive when coupled with a highertone individual because the
emotion results from a hidden goal to knock the higher person down to the point
where Sympathy will be needed. He waits until the upscale person suffers a setback,
at which time he comes alive. He slows down or stops the other individual by pity-
ing him.
Sympathy finds many ways of castrating the higher tone person. The boss
gets mad when he hears that the tippling salesman is offending customers, so he
plans a showdown. Along comes Sympathy who soothingly purrs: "Now, now,
boss. Of course it's upsetting, but let me handle it. I have a little more patience than
you have."
Patience may be a virtue at the top of the scale, but at .9 it's only another
euphemism for weakness.
THE DEADLY CYCLE
Everyone – even the topscale person – sinks down into the drearies some-
times. Sympathy, however, is more prone than any other emotion to revolve in a
perpetual circle between happiness and melancholia. His brand of happiness, of
course, is nothing you're going to want to bottle up and sell on the street corners.
It's mostly a consoling self-righteousness: "Oh, how merciful and compassionate I
am. I never turn my back on anyone who needs me."
He's a magnet for the dregs of society. He puts his attention on the criminals,
the invalids, the skid row bums, addicts, alcoholics, and all the woeful, poor, stricken, limp, sobbing Grief and Apathy cats he can find. He's easily taken in by their lies.
Grief says he has no money, no job and nobody loves him. So Sympathy says, "Oh,
you poor thing. Life has treated you terribly. Of course I'll help you." So he goes
down to Propitiation, providing shelter, food, money, sex – perhaps his whole life.
Soon he's down there in Grief himself (he's always duplicating tones, remember)
and we hear him sobbing "I've done everything I could, but nothing seems to help."
When Sympathy isn't slobbering over the needy types at the bottom, he's
recklessly defending the destructive ones in the 1.0 to 2.0 band. He insists that "No-
body is all bad. Give them the benefit of the doubt."
He's the most gullible victim of the 1.1 con. Also, because of the ease with
which he is influenced, the Sympathy person can be readily corrupted; the glib 1.1
can lure him into all sorts of criminality, perversion or promiscuity (all of which are
more common to the 1.1 tone). Eventually these activities get Sympathy into trou-
ble, so we hear him grieving again.
Too weak to actually handle the low tones he attracts and too compulsively
"understanding" to permit himself to retreat, he stays locked in a permanent elevator
ride with Sympathy as the top floor and Apathy in the basement.
You can spot him by his fluctuation. Even if you point out that he's associating
with low-tone people who are dragging him down, he's unable to handle and un-
willing to disconnect. He might hurt somebody.
That's how such a nice person gets betrayed so often. He's noble though. He
soon crawls back up to Sympathy and tries again.
IN BUSINESS
If you run a business and you want to stay solvent, don't put a Sympathy
person in charge of a department. His overwhelming fear of hurting others is a dan-
gerous attitude. He'll be ineffective on the job, he'll throw away your profits and
he'll attract the losers because he feels sorry for them. He's the one who insists on
hiring the griefy girl because she's had all the bad breaks. He'll defend the employee
who goofs off because "he has a sick wife and fourteen children, you know."
IN THE FAMILY
It's the Sympathy person who most often marries the bad fellow. Here you
find the beautiful young girl who weds the down-and-outer, because she just can't
bear to hurt his feelings.
The .9 is one of the worst possible parents. His over-permissiveness breeds an
uncontrolled, destructive child.
It's easy for loving parents to get lured into feeling Sympathy. How many of
us could remain untouched if we saw a small child sobbing because his ice cream
cone just fell in the sand? Attitudes of Sympathy and Propitiation are automatic:
"There, there, don't cry. I'll buy you another one." This is not truly kindness because
it neglects the future of the child; the gesture teaches him that no matter how careless
and negligent he is, if he cries loud enough someone will pity and take care of him. It would be equally cruel to shrug unsympathetically and say, "That's tough; you
should learn to be more careful." What is the high-tone response? Give the child a
chance to recover from the loss with dignity, not as a beggar: "How would you like
to do a job for me? You can earn the money for another ice cream if you want it."
When we see a youngster who is chronically hideous – crying, whining,
screaming or throwing tantrums – it's a safe bet his parents are stuck in the Sympa-
thy/Propitiation tones. They obviously surrendered, repeatedly, to this behavior;
that's why the child continues using it. He's rewarded for his weaknesses, so he
never develops strength.
Sympathy parents wonder "Where did we go wrong?" while the child grows
into a perpetually immature adult who continues whining through life looking for a
permanent baby sitter to hold his hand and agree that it's a cruel world.
When I was a child, I knew a young boy who was constantly getting beaten
up by a neighborhood bully. One day he ran home crying and his mother decided
not to be sympathetic: "You go back over there and lick that kid or I'm going to give
you a beating myself."
More frightened of his mother's mood than the neighbor, the boy went back
and beat up on the bully for the first time. With new confidence he soon established
neighborhood supremacy as a fighter. As I recall, it was necessary to take on nearly
every belligerent kid in the school first, but he eventually emerged as a peace-loving
individual who knew he could defend himself.
A mother stuck in Sympathy will be so "understanding" that she creates a
permanent loser. I'm not suggesting that we cultivate bullies; but we should recog-
nize that fighting is higher-tone than surrender. And the person who cannot fight
cannot move upscale.
Probably the best answer is to teach the child the tone scale so he can select
higher-tone friends.
SUMMARY
He's the nice guy who marries the helpless clinging vine because "she needs
me."
Not everyone who goes to read to the blind children is in permanent Sympa-
thy. High-tone people care too. In fact, they'll probably be the first ones to teach the
children to read Braille.
The highscale person will be compassionate; but he'll boost you back up.
When you find someone who seems hard to place on the chart, who's never vicious,
who's prone to noble deeds and good intentions, but who collects physical and emo-
tional cripples faster than a dog picks up parasites in a flea farm, suspect a Sympathy
person.
I started my study of this tone with the assumption that I would find very few
people here – probably only those types who get their kicks out of going to funerals
or placing wreaths on gravestones. I couldn't have been more wrong. I finished with the shocking realization that it was one of the more populated
levels of the tone scale. Those who aren't there already are frequently forced into
Sympathy socially by the many popular pity-the underdog movements.
In the harsh light of research I recognized a disconcerting number of my fa-
vorite people at .9 – people I tried (sympathetically) to place at a higher tone.
The act of Sympathy convinces a person he has lost, and once he thoroughly
believes that he can lose, he is unable to win. After a person finds the comfortable
warmth of Sympathy, he begins to desire it. He may become so addicted that he
runs around hoping for an accident or illness so he can get more.
This is a thick, gooey, insidiously destructive emotion. Everything's so seri-
ous.
In fact, it's a downright shame.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 29, 2009 - 09:59pm PT
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OK, that is because they are afraid, which is
Fear - 1.0
"Chapter 8
FEAR (1.0)
Fear: A feeling of alarm or disquiet caused by the expectation of danger, pain, disas-
ter, or the like; terror, dread, apprehension.
– American Heritage Dictionary
"Now, Fred, slow down. Watch this car up here, Fred. Better get into the left
lane, Fred. We have to turn eight blocks from here. That dog might run out. Be care-
ful, Fred!"
(Scream)
Driver panics (at scream, not at any outside threat) and hits brakes; he nearly
gets rammed by the car behind. Everyone is a nervous wreck.
Fear.
This tone wears many disguises. It slips down to influence the Sympathy per-
son (who is afraid of hurting others) and Propitiation (where we see the strange
manifestation of a person attempting to buy off imagined danger by propitiating),
and it sneaks upward on the tone scale to lurk behind Covert Hostility and No Sym-
pathy tones.
Most people harbor a few select, temporary fears. We see the tough, swag-
gering student who turns to a quivering butterfly in the seat of an airplane. We see a
housewife who has the courage to be a Cub Scout den mother, but who quails at the
sight of a harmless snake. We see the bull strength of the business tycoon melt into a
pool of limp terror when forced to give a speech. Although irrational, these fears are
not necessarily chronic, so they don't indicate that the person is a 1.0.
There is a time to be afraid, just as there is a time for joy or grief. It's sensible
to have a respect for danger when caught in a burning house or a New York taxicab.
That's survival.
Acute Fear (whether rational or irrational) causes a pounding heart, a cold
sweat or trembling. This may be fear of actual death, injury or merely some harm-
less menace. Stark terror is the highest volume of Fear. In low volume, we see Fear
expressed as excessive shyness, extreme modesty, or unwarranted suspicions. We
find the person who gets tongue-tied easily, who withdraws from people, who
jumps at a door slam.
CHRONIC FEAR
The person in chronic Fear tone lives with one or another of these manifesta-
tions all the time. He's continually frightened; everything is dangerous. He's afraid
to exist. He's afraid to own things (he might lose them). His solution to life is to be careful – about everything. So, whether he's in terror, mild anxiety, dread or insecu-
rity, he's at Fear on the tone scale. He talks about fearful things, real or imaginary.
In Grief we find anxiety taking a limp form ("Oh, dear, how am I going to
handle this? I just don't know what I can do.") but at the higher tone of Fear the per-
son tries to handle all of the anxieties. Of course, he's pretty ineffectual, but he does
work hard at it.
DISPERSAL
This person is scattered – like a Kleenex that's been through the washing ma-
chine. He's trying to be somewhere else – anywhere else. He flits around, physically
or mentally. His attention jumps from one thing to another. His conversation takes
grasshopper leaps from subject to subject.
Sometimes (not always) you can see this dispersal in his eyes when he talks to
you – they flit over here, over there, up, down – everywhere but straight ahead. He
can't look at you.
LIFE IS THREATENING
Fear is careful because he knows that nearly everything is threatening. I once
knew a man who insisted that all of the doors and windows of his house be locked,
day and night. He called his wife half a dozen times daily just to see if everything
was all right. If she went on an unscheduled visit to a neighbor, he phoned every
house in the block until he located her. His speech was peppered with phrases such
as "You can't be too careful," "You never know what might happen," and "It doesn't
pay to take chances."
Where a higher-tone person will plan his attack on the enemy force, Fear is
always planning his defense (if he's on the high side) or his retreat (if he's on the low
side of Fear).
When there's a robbery on the other side of town, Fear puts extra locks on his
doors. If he lives in Minnesota, but learns of a deadly new mosquito breeding in the
tropics, he get anxious about it. His attention flits all over the universe trying to
cover every possible danger.
In case you think there aren't many people at Fear, let me remind you of the
now famous Orson Wells radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds" in 1938-a realistic
but fictional report of a Martian "invasion." An estimated one million listeners missed
the three announcements about the fictional nature of the program and panicked.
Telephone lines were hopelessly jammed and people were running in the streets. A
Fear person is gullible and credulous about fearful things. He selectively hears only
communications on his own level.
A smooth-talking insurance salesman chalks up a bonus day when he meets
up with a Fear person – the poor devil will buy one of everything.
SUBURBAN SECURITY
He's afraid of losing things, so he walks around constantly fearing that he'll
get bad news – news of a loss. He's afraid he'll hear that his house burned down;
he's apprehensive about getting fired; he wonders if somebody is going to die; he
worries about his wife leaving him.
I once lived across the street from a Fear couple. His face compressed with
deep worry lines, completely bald at the age of twenty-nine ( I don't know if that's
relevant; but I'll mention it anyway), he and his wife worried constantly about
germs, diseases, bad health, burglaries, accidents and disasters. Name anything
dreadful – they dreaded it. Before letting their children out to play, they bundled
them up like Eskimos for fear of catching colds. Interestingly, their two youngsters
suffered more colds and illnesses than any children on the block.
One quiet Sunday morning I saw this neighbor cautiously emerge from his
house. After carefully testing the door to make certain it was locked, he walked to
the garage and unlocked it. After unlocking his car, he drove out to the gate, which
he also unlocked. He backed the car out, returned to the garage and locked it,
walked down the drive, put the chain padlock back on the gate and drove off.
Impressed, I thought: he must be leaving for a month. (We weren't living in
the heart of the crime belt, you understand. The most serious wrongdoing in this
bland suburban community during the previous six months was when a three-year-
old youngster down the street toddled off with another three-year-old's tricycle).
Ten minutes later, however, the neighbor returned with the Sunday papers. He un-
locked the gate, the garage, and went through the whole lockup routine in reverse.
This chap could put the security system at Fort Knox to shame.
While we were living in the same neighborhood, a salesman called one eve-
ning trying to sell a fire alarm system. We turned him down, but as he left I thought:
If he would only stop across the street, they'll surely buy one.
Well, he did, and they did.
LOVE AND CHILDREN
At 1.0 love shows up as suspicion of proffered affection. Filbert offers Belinda
his class ring. Instead of happily accepting it, she queries, "What does this mean?"
He tells her he loves her and she wonders what that really means: "I don't
want to say I love you; it might turn out that I don't."
There won't be much free-wheeling love from a Fear partner. He's too careful
to be spontaneous.
Fear parents strongly influence their children. I once knew a woman who ac-
tually hid in the bedroom closet whenever there was a thunder storm. Her fearful
mother taught her to do this. I knew another woman who was afraid of cats, "My
mother always said they were dangerous. You know, they're supposed to carry all
sorts of diseases-at least that's what Mother told me."
A contagious emotion, Fear. Unless he takes the trouble to examine all the
boogies himself, the child grows up convinced that nearly everything is dangerous.
IN BUSINESS
The Fear person performs poorly on a job. He constantly worries about protecting
himself. He's afraid to make decisions, worries about taking on new projects and
invents amazingly insurmountable obstacles to any new plan. "This is a dangerous
time to get into that market. We could lose our shirts." "I'm afraid we'll get sued for
patent infringement if we try this." "It's a nice idea if it weren't so risky."
Convinced that huge effort and energy are necessary to overcome his imaginary
barriers, he'd rather put off than confront them. So he invents reasons why he can't
do a job.
He tries to avoid responsibility at all cost (he thinks he'd be hurt): "Oh no,
you're not going to get me to take on that job. Everybody would be passing the
buck to me. I'd have to take the blame for everything that goes wrong."
While he's better than all the tones below this, you have a poor job risk here.
THE THREE LEVELS OF FEAR
Fear represents a crossover point on decision making. At the lower part of
Fear, the person is afraid to do things. Retreating, on the run, he's a master at
avoiding. At the high point of Fear the person is afraid not to. He defends against
every possible eventuality. In the middle of Fear tone, we find the absolute maybe.
Here is the person frozen into indecision; he can't make up his mind.
This is not the apathetic indecision of Grief ("I just don't know what to do"). At
Fear the person actively vacillates between "Should I ?" and "Shouldn't I ?"
When a higher-tone person hits this level of the scale, he finds it uncomfort-
able. Here we see the young girl faced with the choice between two eligible men.
She likes them both; she can't decide; she wavers back and forth. Finally, the indeci-
sion becomes so painful that she impulsively makes a choice (she may even run
away with a third man who is totally unsuitable). Anything to move off that maybe.
Some Fear people, however, live in indecision for years – waiting for some
occurrence to tip the scale. Such an individual is afraid to be right and he doesn't dare
be wrong. He's afraid to and he's afraid not to. He can't commit himself. He can't
plan the future, and he can't face the present. If you ask him to set up an appoint-
ment a few days in advance, he can't: "Call me later. We'll see what happens." (The
more high-tone a person is, the more willingly he will commit himself to something
in the future.)
Here we find the couple who date each other for seventeen years because
they're afraid to get married. He's the man who wants to change jobs, but can't
muster the nerve; he grows old waiting for the right impetus. Here's the miserable
marriage that continues on because neither person works up the courage to resolve
it or end it.
HOPE
Hope is a marvelous quality when it is quickly transferred into specific plans,
actions and accomplishments. Every great doer starts with a dream. At Fear, how-
ever, we find the vacuum of blind hope – the deadly initiative killer. He doesn't pro-
gress; he doesn't give up. He simply postpones living today. It's too frightful, so he
waits for something to happen. What is that something? I don't know. I've seen
people who waited for years, but "it" never arrived. They spend their lives living out
of mental suitcases; they never unpack and settle down to something and they never
take off and go anywhere. They wait. They day-dream. They think wistfully. The
next moment, the next hour, the next day, surety, will bring that magic something
that dissolves all doubts.
That's blind hope. Waiting. Indecision. That's the dead center of Fear.
Fear is the last of the soft emotions. Now we're going to leave the mushy
marshes and pick our way through a stretch of barbed wire.. .
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 29, 2009 - 10:04pm PT
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Like everything- same with Christianity and on and on and....
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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May 29, 2009 - 10:12pm PT
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you sound like you are stuck at
Boredom - 2.5
BOREDOM (2.5)
You go to the beach for a two-week vacation. Sometimes it takes most of the
journey to quit worrying about whether you turned off all the stove burners and
whether the dog will feel heartbroken at the kennel. It may be another day or so
before you stop waking up with the panicky feeling that you're late for work. Fi-
nally you relax and drift along with the mildly pleasant experience of no pressures or
demands. You sleep late, swim, fish, loaf. When everything becomes so calm that the
big event of the day is a stroll to the general store to see what's going on – you've
arrived at Boredom.
It's a pleasant state where one is unconcerned about the larger issues of the
world. Most of us, however, soon reach a saturation point on this level and start
looking forward to getting involved again.
Not so with the chronic Boredom person. His biggest purpose in life is to kill
time; he's an expert at it.
FALSE BOREDOM
About the only mistake you can make with this tone is putting people here
who don't belong.
Sometimes a person gives the appearance of going up to Boredom when ac-
tually he is still in his usual tone with the volume turned down. Nothing is happen-
ing which permits him to dramatize his chronic tone.
An Apathy person may tell you almost anything was boring, because it takes
such an impact to create any effect on him. Grief will complain that a funny movie
was boring, simply because she found no occasion to cry. When the 1.1 is not getting
enough attention to ignite his spark plugs he affects a sophisticated, hypercritical
boredom: "Why are we hanging around here? Let's go where there's some action."
Such people are bored (by most definitions) because nothing is occurring that
turns on the adrenaline; but they are not at 2.5 on the tone scale. The Boredom per-
son is not complaining, not impatient. He can endure it.
Let's look in on a high school classroom. ..
"Dear Marcy, I've never been so bored. If this guy doesn't shut up pretty
soon, I'm going to have a screaming fit! He's talking about grasshopper legs, for
gosh sakes! Like, wouldn't you think you'd 'earn something sexy in Biology?"
Three seats behind our letter writer, a lanky six footer slumps in light slum-
ber. Across the row, a scowling youth swings his foot impatiently.
All of them will say they are bored; but none of them are really at Boredom
on the scale. The real 2.5 is sitting in the back of the room. He doodles in his note-
book. He watches a fly explore the top of the desk. He wonders if the instructor is
wearing a wig and decides it doesn't matter. He examines dust particles drifting through a shaft of sunlight. He thinks briefly about grasshoppers and limp
solves to read that chapter someday.
Let's turn up the volume on the true tone of the students by introduc
emergency. A huge rock smashes through the window and thuds on the tea
desk. Papers fly. A vase of flowers crashes to the floor. The teacher jumps b
chilling wind whips through the room. A girl screams. Another bursts into
Several students laugh. One of them rushes up to see if the instructor is hurt
affects concern while mentally planning how he'll embellish the story later. E
them turns on strong in his chronic tone. In the back of the room, Boredom p
watches everything. He realizes this might be serious; but he doesn't panic. Lo
out the window, he wonders who threw the rock; but he decides it really d
matter. It's been an interesting afternoon.
WELL ADJUSTED
He's "well adjusted." The emotion is pleasurable. His attention is leisure
slightly scattered. He wants to be entertained. He likes a certain amount of pl
random activity. He can occupy himself for hours, days, years with the most
matters. He'll wash the car, trim the shrubs, play a game of cribbage, watch t
game on TV.
Although some large ideas may flicker through his mind from time to
he won't be the guy who invents a new fuel to replace gasoline, and he won
the revolution movement.
This tone is marked by a purposelessness in living.
He's careless, indifferent, mildly pleasant. You'll probably like him. He
be attacking you, trying to undermine you, warning you, taking care of y
sopping all over you. He won't try to draw you into his game; he's not even p
much of a game. He's just watching it.
CONVERSATION
Boredom is somewhat negligent about facts; but you'll find him comfo
and amiable. He won't pick a fight because he doesn't care whether or not you
with him. If you introduce some static, he'll say, "Let's not argue."
He makes pointless, idle conversation. Although this easygoing guy m
able to tell you all about the neighbors, his mild gossip is never vicious. He's
what careless as to whether his communications are received or understood.
try to clarify something, he'll toss it away: "Oh, it's not important."
He accepts people, not necessarily because he's interested in them, b
cause it would be too much trouble to do otherwise. Ask him whether he thin
should hire Martin for the job and he'll say, "He's OK, I guess."
DEVALUATES EMERGENCIES
The 2.5 devaluates emergencies. If somebody comes along and says, "The
house is burning down. Hurry! Do something!" he says, "Well, now, don't get all
worked up about it."
He collects comfortable platitudes with which to dismiss all emergencies and
shed all responsibilities. Tell him you're trying to find a way to make more money,
and he'll shrug and discard the whole subject with: "Well, it takes money to make
money."
He doesn't feel much need to do anything about anything.
Ask him what he's been doing lately; he'll probably say, "Oh, nothing much.
Same old thing." He putters and loafs. He collects useless information and trivia. He
may remember every baseball score since the beginning of time; but won't master a
new subject that could improve his whole life.
He'll never achieve greatness unless it's thrust upon him.
SENSE OF HUMOR
There's a moth-eaten, old joke about two Britishers talking: "I was so sorry to
hear that you buried your wife yesterday."
"Well, I had to, old man. She was dead, you know."
The 2.5 will laugh merrily at that one (he'll probably repeat it too). His sense
of humor is so literal that he likes the groaners. His attempts at humor will include
cheerful, but corny puns and platitudes – seldom original – which he will repeat pre-
dictably over and over: "Long time no see," "I should stood in bed," and "Well, shut
my mouth." The witty, original puns are usually the product of a 1.1. Boredom can't
be bothered thinking up anything original.
I was selecting ears of corn from a wheelbarrow in front of a farm house
when the owner strolled over. "Looks like nice corn," I said.
"Yup. Fresh too. Only been picked less than an hour. I know that for a fact,"
he leaned forward and with a conspiratorial grin, confided: "cause I picked it myself –
that's how I know."
Chuckling in appreciation of his own nimble humor, he bagged up the corn
and handed me change. This agreeable exchange represents the height of original
humor that will be attempted by a 2.5.
Not exactly a rapier wit, but a pleasant fellow.
THE LOVE DEPARTMENT
As a father he's OK. He has a friendly tolerance of children, although he never
gets too involved in their affairs.
If you like a passionate relationship, scintillating repartee and hilarious high
jinx, don't hook up with Boredom. He's far too negligent to pursue you with any
burning passion. He won't even lose sleep worrying about whether or not you love him. If he wants to watch Wild Will Six-gun on television, he'll simply turn it on. He's
indifferent about getting your agreement or support.
Hardly the lordly cavalier; but he'll keep the grass mowed.
IN BUSINESS
Although he doesn't look as active as many lowertone people, he'll drift along
fairly well on a routine job, and he'll be much better liked by his fellow employees.
He's a poor candidate for manager because he's incapable of getting others enthused
and too careless of support or participation. As an idea man, don't count on him. His
decision making is indifferent. Ask him, "How would you like to organize a big sales
campaign?" He'll shrug and say, "I don't mind."
Not persistent, too idle, concentration poor, he's willing to do the job . Just.
SUMMARY
Boredom is a sort of high-tone Apathy. But there's flippancy in Boredom. It's
much more alive, carefree and extroverted.
This is the nicest person we've met so far on our trip up the scale. If you find it
hard to remember any Boredom people, it's because they so seldom say or do any-
thing memorable.
He's a man of unused ambition, pleasant and easygoing, who won't set the
world on fire – or even light a match.
He's neither contented nor discontented. He mostly wants to be entertained.
He's a spectator.
Ho hum.
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MisterE
Trad climber
One Step Beyond!
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May 31, 2009 - 02:14am PT
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I just want to belong to something, IS THAT WRONG???
You see we have no ritual of initiation in our culture
we leave it to the vultures...
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S.Leeper
Social climber
Ft. Useless, Virginia
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I've never quite understood what Scientology claimed to actually do for a student.
They promise to remove all the alien souls trapped in our bodies.
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WBraun
climber
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Ever notice that Dr.Sprock disappeared after putting in all that drool in the previous page ......
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Who could or would read all that crap. What a waste.
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The Alpine
Big Wall climber
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I grew up in Clearwater, FL - the universe headquarters for scientology, so I've got a bit of experience with them.
So BESIDES them buying up tons of prime realty, tax free of course because its a religion, and basically shutting down any commerce not related to supporting scientology....
New recruits have to give up their posessions and pay into the 'church' regularly.
They work them like worker bees - low wages, work for the queen, return to the hive, don't speak up.
They don't do doctors. Many low-level people have died for basic issues such as dehydration.
So they've got these 2 cans that you hold that are hooked up to a meter. Reads out some sort of signal thats generated by negative memories. By doing this you can get rid of negative memories and improve yourself. This gives you access to more of their 'knowledge'. You must pay for each of these sessions.
The highest level people and 'knowledge' are on a ship permanently at sea.
Shitz crazy yo.
This is all stuff I've witnessed first hand.
Any questions?
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hossjulia
Social climber
Eastside
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What's wrong with Scientology is that it was started by an egocentric MAN. Sound familiar?
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Rock!...oopsie.
Trad climber
the pitch above you
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Dingus,
Yer not gonna argue that Scientology was rock solid before "Mr. Ascot" died, and has only since then lost it's way are you?
-Bob
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Rock!...oopsie.
Trad climber
the pitch above you
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OK, that's great news! I was just checking.
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jamatt
Social climber
Asheville, NC
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blink
that makes eckankar seem downright grounded.
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