What is a Problem?

A problem consists
of two or more purposes opposed.
It does not matter what problem
you face or have faced,
the basic anatomy of that problem
is purpose-counter-purpose

L. Ron Hubbard from
Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought

The word "purpose" means "the goal or intended outcome of something" and "the desire or the resolve necessary to accomplish a goal."

A simple example of a problem is that you want to watch "Dollhouse" and your spouse wants to watch "Supernanny". There are two opposed purposes.

Sometimes you have to dig to see the purposes but they are always there. At first the Titanic sinking may not seem to have two opposed purposes, but lets dig a bit. The Titanic wanted to cross a particular patch of ocean but there was an iceberg in the way. You could say the iceberg had the "purpose" to be solid and the Titanic had the purpose to sail through it. There was the problem.

So, go ahead and pick out some problem you have in your life and figure out the opposing purposes. There will be two or more. See if this understanding of what a problem is helps you to solve it.

Tell me what you find.

Ability Reduction

It's impossible to reduce an ability.
About the only thing you can do is reduce its exercise
or the willingness to exercise it.
-L. Ron Hubbard from the lecture "Control"

An obvious example is an athlete who gets injured. He still has the ability but he can no longer exercise it.

Next is reduction of the willingness to exercise the ability. Let's look at an actor like Silvester Stallone. Nominated for two Oscars and a WGA award in 1977 and a BAFTA award in 1978. Clearly the guy has the ability. Then he picked some not-so-good movies to appear in and then the press and the creeps at the "Razzie" awards started to target him and next thing you know he is a "star" because of his past record and not because of his current films. Recently, probably because he was out of the spotlight, the attacks decreased and he made a bit of a comeback, gaining some critical acknowledgment for the movie "Rocky Balboa", which he wrote, directed and starred in.

So, how can you apply this to your life? Where are you not exercising an ability as much as you should? Is it caused by an unwillingness to exercise the ability? Is it caused by something else? Injury, illness, drug abuse? Narrow it down by examining the ability and what may be stopping you from exercising it. Once you've figured it out then you can figure out possible solutions that will help you to exercise it more.

Tell me how it goes.

Your Potentialities

Your potentialities
are a great deal better
than anyone ever permitted
you to believe
-L. Ron Hubbard from Self Analysis

This is one of my favorite quotes. The truth is that we are far more capable than we know.

Often we are told quite the opposite: Did you ever have a teacher who told you that you were stupid? Did you ever have a "friend" who would make "jokes" at your every mistake? Did you ever see an ad that told you there was something wrong with you and that you needed the latest money making drug to enable you to live with it?

All around there are attempts to tell us that we are incapable and that we need someone or something in order to survive.

Well, the truth is in the quote above. Start believing in yourself. A potentiality is an ability that may be developed, so even though you may not see your abilities right now, they are there and you can develop them.

Don't listen to the naysayers. You have great potential abilities and there are many ways to develop them. Education is a real good one. The one I recommend is Scientology, because it has worked so well for me.

Control of the Environment

Every extinct species became extinct
because it could not change
to control a new environment
- L. Ron Hubbard from Self Analysis

This quote touches on the same subject as yesterday's: Control. Control is the ability to start, change and stop things at one’s own choice.

Some people think that to survive one must adapt to one's environment. The trouble with that idea is that it tends to have the connotation that one must adapt to avoid the dangers. It's a sort of "I can run away" definition. The quote above, from L. Ron Hubbard, says that you must change so you can control your environment, a very different idea.

The quote above can also be applied to entities other than species. Look at Circuit City for example. The environment (economy) changed and Circuit City was not able to change so that it could control the new situation and so it perished.

You can also apply it to your own life. Which areas are you having trouble in? How can you change to better control those areas? Change could be brought about by a decision to act differently, by education so you understand the area better or by a myriad of other ways that I will leave to your common sense.

Tell me what you find.

How well off is an individual?

An individual is as well off as he can change things in location in space - L. Ron Hubbard from the Phoenix Lectures.

Think about that one. If you cannot even move your body (i.e., change its location in space) then you are probably in a coma and not very well off. If you can move your body but not much else then you can't hold down a job, drive a car, or do any of the other things that are required to live in our society. If you can move your body and the other things in your environment that you need to move then you will be able to live in the world, drive a car, cook a meal, dance, play an instrument, etc., etc.

Look at your own life and see how this applies to the different areas of life you deal with. How well can you change the location of things for yourself? Your family? Your job? The groups you are involved with? Etc., etc.

I think you'll find out some interesting things about yourself and your life if you try that exercise.

Tell me what you find.

Basic Scientology Books now in 50 languages

Last night at the event celebrating L. Ron Hubbard's birthday, it was announced that the most basic 8 Scientology Basics books have just been released in 50 languages. Not 10, not 20, but 50!

L. Ron Hubbard already had the record as the world's most translated author, with works in 65 languages. I don't know if the new translations add to that 65, but if they do then he's even further ahead than before.

Question about the Purification Rundown

"C" said: Grahame, I would love to get more actively involved with Scientology but I don't wish to do the Purification Rundown. (I have never taken drugs in my life) Is this a deal-breaker? Is the Purif mandatory?

Hey "C",

Whether you have to do the Purification Rundown or not is between you and the technical expert who determines what spiritual enhancement you need.

However, I think if you fully understood what the Purif is all about you would actually jump at the chance to do it.

I've done it twice now. Once back in the early 1980s and again in the early 2000s. I had no illegal drug history at all and a minimal medical drug history but I personally got huge gains from the Purif both times.

Unfortunately we live in a world filled with toxins. The fumes from cars, the leaded paint on the walls of an old house, the crap they put into drinking water to kill off bugs, the additives in foods, etc., etc. These all take a toll on you and after they are gone you feel so much better.

Clearer headed, more energy, fabulous skin and much more are just a few of the gains I got from the Purif.

So, my advice would be to go to your local Church or Mission of Scientology and talk to someone about it, or buy the book Clear Body, Clear Mind and read for yourself what the Purif is all about.

Bad Memories

Here is a comment thread that I thought might be of interest.

Jim Gatos said...
Grahame, would you please look at this link? I saw this at the BBC RSS feeds.

Is this supposed to be "auditing by prescription"?

Heart pill to banish bad memories

I think it's bad news...

Grahame said...
Hey Jim,

I agree - very bad news.

It looks to me, from what the article says, that the conclusions the researchers have come to are erroneous.

Surely a more logical conclusion is that the drugs merely made the subjects less aware of their environment. The fact that they reacted less to present-time "startling" stimuli shows this. It proves nothing about their memories.

The experiments with animals also show this. As the article says, "Experiments on animals has shown beta blockers can interfere with how the brain makes sense of frightening events." The creatures were confused. The drugs disoriented them. It had nothing to do with erasing memories.

Seems to me that someone is trying to get a nice big grant from a drug company.

Grahame said...
Hey Jim,

One other thing.

Scientology Auditing does not erase memories as the article implies that the drugs do.

Auditing erases the trauma associated with the memories. The memories themselves are still there, it's the pain and suffering associated with them that is gone.

If you had an accident and the memory was completely removed then you could easily make the same mistakes again and repeat the accident. If you have the trauma removed then you can remember exactly what happened and thereby learn from your mistakes.

I think that's a much better solution.

Scientology is Solutions: Economic Crisis

If you understand something about the current economic crisis then you can do something about it (i.e., survive it). There is data in Scientology that can help.

First is this definition from L. Ron Hubbard:

Money is an idea backed by confidence

That's an interesting definition, because it tells you how come the Federal Reserve has been able to create money out of nothing for so long and yet it still has value. People have confidence in dollar bills so, despite the fact that the Fed has been printing (and I mean that in the electronic as well as the ink sense) money by the truck load, which under normal circumstances would make the money worth less and less until it became worthless, there are still plenty of people in the world who have confidence in the dollar.

That may or may not last. But it is the key to surviving this current crisis.

For more data on money and finances there are these courses you can take:

• The Dynamics of Money Course
• Financial Success Course
• How to Make Work Easier Course

Those will help.

Scientology Materials Guide Chart

You can get a free Scientology Materials Guide Chart (click here: Dianetics and Scientology Materials). The Guide Chart shows you everything that is available to study in Dianetics and Scientology and the sequence in which it should be studied.

For beginning books that I recommend, just look at my side-bar, or click here: Basic Scientology Books.

Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog

It is easy to buy Dianetics and Scientology Books this holiday season. Everything is available online. A fellow blogger posted this great article giving all the data and links you need to find what you want:

2008 Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog « Scientology Organizations Around the World

You may notice that I also have some links to basic and intro books in my right-hand sidebar, just in case you want to go directly. If you want to browse you can click the link to the article or you can try this one: Scientology Books.

Past Philosophers and L. Ron Hubbard

Here is a cool article I found called Past Philosophers and L. Ron Hubbard.

Check it out and then get the free eBook that is offered. The best way to investigate a new subject is to find out for yourself. Read what it has to say and try out the methods it offers for a better life. If they work then you will know for yourself.

Life as a Game

When one is mired down in the sometimes titanic struggle of existence, he is apt to discount the fact that there is joy in living.
L. Ron Hubbard from the book The Problems of Work

When the stock market is crashing, when the financial markets are melting down and when the press is gleefully bombarding us with bad news, it is difficult to realize that there is joy in living. So what can you do about it?

One datum given in the book "The Problems of Work" is that life is a game. "A what?" You exclaim as you stare at the pile of bills on the table. "Is that some kind of sick joke?" No, it is a sober fact because:

A game consists of: Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes.
There are many more complicated factors involved in games, but these are all listed in Scientology.

Just stop for a moment and examine your life.

• Do you know what your Purposes are?
• Do you know what the Freedoms are that help you to achieve your Purposes?
• Do you know what the Barriers are that get in the way of achieving your Purposes?

If you knew these things, not only would you have clarified your own life, but you would have gained a valuable tool that you could apply to every area of your life.

Example: someone is giving you a hard time at work. What is the game he is playing? What are the Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes that he is involved with? How come he thinks you are a Barrier?

"The Problems of Work" contains more data on games and how they apply to life as well as a ton of other extremely useful tools for living. Get it today! The Problems of Work

What can you do about the current financial mess?

When you are bombarded by the bad news from the media regarding the egregious behavior of the leaders of the financial industry, the corruption of politicians and the prospects for the next depression, it can all become a bit overwhelming.

After all, you're just one apparently small cog in the great wheels of this world. What can you possibly do to make a difference?

In fact there is something you can do. You can bring financial stability to the area you can control. For example, you can bring sanity and stability to your own finances.

For help in doing this, I recommend the Financial Success Course.

In these troubled times ...

In these worrying econimic times, when the US Government is setting the printing presses running 24/7 to produce another trillion dollars worth of worthless currency, individuals in our society are probably worrying about the future and what they can do to give themselves some security.

The book "The Problems of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard gives you the tools you need to gain that security.

After reading several of the frightening articles about the current economic situation, the inept actions being taken by the US Government and the criminal actions being taken by the Federal Reserve and associated banks, I decided to read this book again.

After the first chapter I breathed a sigh of relief because there is a way to not become the effect of the economic insanity, and the solution for the individual is contained in this book.

Well, I opened my big mouth

I opened my big mouth and whined about the stupid "bailout' in my post "Congressional IQ". So Jim Gatos called by bluff and asked what should be done about it. Well, in order to have the right to whine, one must also have some suggestions to fix the thing he is whining about, so here is my reply to what Jim asked. You can read Jim's comment here: Jim's comment and here is my reply:

Hey Jim,

For more on what is causing this financial meltdown watch this video: Money as Debt

You asked, "first is what should be done, and secondly is what can the country do to make sure this mess doesn't happen again."

Interestingly there was a law that could have prevented this sort of thing from happening. It was called the Glass-Steagall Act and it prohibited investment banks from acting as commercial banks. Investment banks (which make speculative bets) could not own commercial banks (which accept savings deposits from customers) and so depositor's savings would not be put into risky investments.

The Glass-Steagall Act was made law shortly after the Great Depression and was meant to help stop another such depression. The Act was repealed in 1999 after the banking industry poured $200 million into lobbying efforts to get rid of it. See this article for much more data: The Con In Central Bankers' Confidence. A fascinating (though scary) article which explains a lot about how we got into this mess.

Your questions are tough to answer. Here is what I'd do if I were in a position of power: I would apply the "Danger Formula" - a part of Scientology Ethics. Here are the steps of the formula (in quotes) and what I would do. My suggestions are based on the little data that I have on this mess. I'm sure people who know more about it could come up with better ideas.

Also the actions I suggest to take are my suggestions only and have nothing to do with my Church. The Church of Scientology does not get involved in politics or government.

"1. Bypass (ignore the junior or juniors normally in charge of the activity and handle it personally)"
I would bypass the financial institutions which brought this about. The next step of the formula gives what I'd then do.

"2. Handle the situation and any danger in it."
There are a couple of ways this could be done.

a) To handle the "credit crunch": the government could set up its own agency to give loans to businesses and individuals. They already have the SBA in place so its role could be expanded.

The rules for qualifying for a loan could be set to the same rules as the average bank followed before the craziness hit.

Once this agency starts giving out loans, following reasonable qualification requirements, it is likely that banks would start to follow suit and lend out on similar terms. Otherwise they'll go broke because no one will be getting loans from them.

Also the government could mandate the rules banks must follow to decide who can get a loan. This will bypass the psychotic pendulum swing that went from "Yes I will give your pet duck a loan" to "You need a credit score of 25,000 to qualify for a $10 loan".

The end product of these handlings is that loans will start to flow again but following sane loan qualification guidelines.

b) To handle the problem of homeowners not being able to pay their mortgages: one handling would be to allow them to change their mortgages from 30 year to 40, 50 or 60 year mortgages. This would reduce their monthly payment and allow them to stay in their home and allow banks to keep the house on their books as an asset.

I'm sure the bright boys and girls in the banking industry can think of other solutions. So people who made dumb mortgage choices (with the help of unethical banks) can keep a roof over their heads.

c) To handle the problem of banks with worthless "assets" on their books. With steps a) and b) underway the housing market should be starting to recover. So the value of houses will be better. The banks should fix up foreclosed houses so they can be sold - perhaps at a loss but at least at a price in a recovering market. They could also offer longer-term mortgages so more people can afford to buy with less chance of being unable to pay three or four years down the road.

"3. Assign the area where it had to be handled a Danger condition."
Tell the financial sector that they are in trouble and better get their act together otherwise they'll be out of a job and in even bigger trouble.

"4. Assign each individual connected with the Danger condition a Personal Danger condition and enforce that they follow the formula completely, and if they do not do so, do a full Ethics investigation and take all actions indicated."
(The steps of the Personal Danger Formula are similar to the steps here. If you want to know more then buy the book Introduction to Scientology Ethics)

First, every individual in the sectors of the financial industry where this happened have to write up, in exact detail, the crimes and other unethical actions they did or were involved with. If they do an honest job of this then the penalties will be lessened. If they don't and their activities and crimes are found out later then the penalties will be increased. Then they do the steps of the Personal Danger Formula.

I'd also have further investigations carried out based on what came up in these write-ups. All crimes found would be made public and prosecuted.

I would also have a major investigation convened into the revoking of the Glass-Steagall Act. Every politician who voted for its revocation, every lobbyists who lobbied to have it revoked and those who funded them would be looked into. Everything found would be made public and all crimes prosecuted.

"5. Reorganize the activity so that the situation does not repeat."
I would disband the Federal Reserve and put the country back onto the Gold Standard, initially. On a longer term I would find another standard to use that reflects the productivity of the country rather than how much gold we have in reserve. For example, use the GNP as the basis for how much money we can allow in circulation. We produce a billion dollars worth of product then we can issue that many dollars.

I would make the issuance of money follow the Constitution.

I would abolish income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. This would encourage people to save and would only tax them when they spend.

I would figure out a way to phase out the fractional reserve system of banking and get to a much more rational system that doesn't cause inflation and the sort of crash we are experiencing.

"6. Recommend any firm policy that will hereafter detect and/or prevent the condition from recurring."

Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act.

Add learning about money to school curricula: its history, how it is manipulated, how the fractional reserve system was used by bankers to amass huge personal fortunes and power, how the Federal Reserve system brought about the current mess, basics on how to stay solvent, how to balance your check book, etc., etc. That way future generations won't get fooled again.

There are probably lots of other things that can be done, but this is not my field, so I'll leave it up to people who know more about it.

So, Jim, that's my suggestion.

Basic Scientology Books in Public Libraries

I just heard that as of a couple days ago, full packages of basic Scientology books have been sent out to 84,140 libraries all over the world. That means just 16,766 libraries remaining to have covered the entire world for those languages the books are currently available in.

So if you want to find out what Scientology really is you can go down to your local library and get a book.

The books I recommend for people new to the subject are:

• Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science - covers how the basic discoveries of Dianetics (science of the mind) was made. What earlier knowledge was used and what wasn't, etc. It's a fascinating journey and a great intro to the subject.


• Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health - from basic principles to exactly how to use it to help yourself and others. This is called "Book One" by Scientologists because it is the book that introduced the subject to the world. This book requires a bit more time and effort to read than Evolution of a Science.


• Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought - covers the basics knowledge and wisdom of Scientology. Learn about the basic principles and how you can use them to improve your life and the lives of others.


• Scientology: A New Slant on Life - essays by L. Ron Hubbard that cover the subject and how to use it in your life. You also get an insight into Ron's own viewpoints on life and how to deal with it.

So go to your library or click on the links above and buy online.

Scientology Video: What is Greatness?

Embedding has been enabled on the Scientology videos on YouTube! There are tons of them and here is one of my favorites:

What is Scientology Auditing and how can it help you?

The latest podcast from the New Civilization Podcast website is here.

What is auditing and how can it help you? Hear all about it from a man who has delivered more than 50,000 hours of auditing to countless individuals.

New Civilization Podcast - Auditing featuring Ted Sullivan

Great Win from Self Analysis

Peace just posted a win from one of his readers: Self Analysis Totally Got Rid Of His Illness!.

It reminded me of a cool win I had from using Self Analysis many moons ago. I was looking for a job and it was not going well. Not a single bite despite several interviews. I was starting to get depressed and my rent was due! So that morning I picked up Self Analysis and started running through the processes in the book. After about 30 minutes I felt really great. I was no longer depressed. I felt invigorated.

Within the hour I got a call for another interview scheduled for that afternoon. I went to the interview and they gave me the job! I think the extra calm and confidence I felt from the Self Analysis processes was what made the difference and got me the job.