Thanks, Artoo! Some days are better than others, so I’ll take peace whenever I can get it.

Sorry doesn’t cut it. So sorry youe going through this. And yes the elder Heath is swingin’ at 93. Peace.

Wow! The Heath Brothers! They’ve gotta be close to 100 at this point. Good to hear they’re still carrying the torch.

That’s awfully nice of you to say. This was a tough one that I wouldn’t wish on any parent. I know some here have experienced this, but right now it’s all still too raw and painful for me. All a result of the epidemic currently sweeping the nation.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I was just enjoying the Pacific Mambo Orchestra and The Heath Brothers last weekend and thought of you and our subterranean music convos. Hoping you find some peace and join us again down in the Bunker. Your seat is always saved.

Thanks for asking about me. There was no snappage. Unexpected family tragedy struck. I’m still in mourning. Hope all is well with you!

Thank you for these kind words and wishes. I feel like I know you too and hope someday we get to talk and laugh around the same table.

Well, I could have used “fuzzy” becuz I suspect at that point lots of us were fuzzy, right? I hope your veggie juice has lots of carrots. 😉

Um. Eh?

As an outsider, who has never, ever, participated I have always been interested in the proposition that Scientology has some benefits.

Those who make this claim seem to have experienced them very early on in their training and I suspect they are ‘enhanced’ by memory.

I keep asking for examples, and my interest is genuine. However, to date the only answers I have received have described subjective feelings which seem to have no practical consequences.

I really do not understand how Scientology processes can “help people”. Things like ‘bullbaiting’ might make shy individuals feel more at ease in company – but probably only in a Scientology environment, and even then as much because of the praise they have received from their fellows as any actual change in themselves.

Maybe I’m being picky, but it seems that any therapy should not only produce empirically verifiable results but to so for valid reasons. Scientology may make people initially feel good, but there is no evidence whatsoever that this is therapeutic and, as you say, only serves to draw people in to “the rest of it”.

It’s interesting that Freudian psychoanalysis appealed to Hubbard (he certainly used a lot if its ideas in dianetics) because for many years now, it has been considered by psychologists to be a self-validating pseudo-science itself. That is, your therapist can never be wrong – it you don’t agree with his interpretation you are ‘obviously’ repressing something, and therapy must continue until you acknowledge this.

The work of Freud turned out to be very poor basis for therapy, an observation backed up by empirical research into its success rate.

For all that, I would be fascinated to know what aspects of Scientology you consider to be “Workable”.