Showing results by author "L. Ron Hubbard" in All Categories

In his search to understand Man, Ron discovered that there is a single common denominator to existence: Survive! No matter the varied experiences or activities of individuals, everyone is seeking to survive and that is the only common denominator to all life. Then, examining life still more closely, he further discovered that survival subdivided into eight separate urges or drives, known as the Eight Dynamics.

In a world of unpredictable forces racing headlong toward an uncertain future, how can a single individual control his own fate? How can he safeguard the well-being of his family, the prosperity of his group and the security of his nation? Must he mutely await the next unforeseen blow, which might well signal the end of all dreams and aspirations? Or should he endeavor by whatever means, through whatever plan, to secure the future for those he cherishes and the society in which he lives?

It betrays the brightest hopes of individuals, drives families apart, incites organizational turmoil and pitches nations into chaos. What malignant seed grows in the human mind that not only prevents individuals from “thinking straight”, but forces them to act out theirirrationalities? Man’s failure over many millennia to find the cause of aberration has exacted an incalculable toll in personal unhappiness and ruined lives.But were the answer found, the horizons would be unlimited.

Help pervades every part of life. Yet few people realize the degree to which it determines their survival. For thewillingness to give and receive help lies at the foundationof all human reactions and behavior.How does one increase a person’s confidence, improvehis ability to communicate with others and heighten hisinterest in life? The answers all start with help, and theyare contained in a series of techniques so effective theycan practically “awaken the dead.”

It has been bought and sold in a thousand dramas. It has been preached about from every pulpit - debated, contested, condemned, and exalted. And with no means to accurately measure or quantify it, the physical sciences either ignored it or denied its very existence. The human soul. Here, then, is a discovery all the more remarkable for being grounded not merely on faith and belief, but on proofs as irrefutable as any in science.

The single word “liberty” articulates not only basic rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, but many other vital concepts: opportunity, choice, security and even happiness. Indeed, it is a word that symbolizes the dreams and goals of every human being. Yet its very power makes it liable to abusive ends entirely opposed to its true meaning. In consequence, both individualand national freedoms can be eroded in a manner that escapes detection.

An extraordinary drama played out across thousands of years, Man’s long search to penetrate the mystery of “the other fellow” - and thereby to know himself - found its expression not only in philosophy and religion, but even in war and conquest. Yet in spite of, or perhaps because of, the crucial intensity of this quest, its continuing failure down the centuries accumulated ever-deepening problems for Man. Hence, in desperation, he eventually abandoned the search entirely - in 1879, to be precise.

To overcome tyranny is to win freedom as a people, a nation or even Mankind. Yet to benefit fully from theirliberties, each man and woman must also be free - as individuals. In regard to freedom as a nation, here is the remarkable story of how one man, the Athenian statesman Pericles, envisioned a better future for Mankind - a future free from tyranny.

From the dawn of time, Man has cherished the hope he could achieve a greater freedom. That hope, articulated by the greatest religious leaders across the centuries, has time and again renewed his strength to face the future. But with no practical means to convert hope to reality, the goal of a greater freedom remained, for most if not all, a distant and unattainable dream.

No civilized culture has failed to recognize the importance of education. And it is widely acknowledged that in today’s fast-paced society, success depends on the ability to swiftly understand and use information. What lies behind the crisis in education? Are some subjects simply hard to teach? Are some teachers just not good at imparting knowledge?

It is upon the individual that the success of an organization and, indeed, the civilization depends.Those who accomplish more with less effort aremore willing, more capable and, in fact, more efficient. Theysuffer less emotional stress and strain. They are better suitedto make key decisions. And as efficiency increases across whole industries, so the whole of society benefits.

In his lifelong quest to uncover the answers to life and Man, Ron discovered that all life forms, from the lowest to the highest, are motivated by a single command: Survive! Yet questions still remained. What exactly is life and how does it accomplishits purpose of survival? Is life merely live matter? Or does it contain another quality altogether? Thus Ron set out to isolate and identify the very essence of life itself.

What is life? Such was the central question Ron posed when setting out to unravelthe riddle of human existence. After examining all aspects and elements of existence, he arrived at an altogether startling discovery - one which suddenly clarified all life’s various phenomena: Life is a game. In this lecture, Ron explains why life is best understood by likening it to a game, whereupon he defines both its prerequisites and conditions, showing that it follows the rules of any game.

Since the deployment of the first atomic weapons, people everywhere have lived with the possibility that everything they hold dear - their lives, their families, their careers and eventhe human species itself - could be extinguished in a few moments of devastation. Such consequences would be so overwhelming that, formany, the only defense is a hope it will never happen.

Since time immemorial, Man has sought to liberate the soul from the body and so achieve immortality. In this account of the heritage that stands behind Scientology, Ron recounts the extraordinary story of Man’s epic quest for a way to attain that goal. Embracing a tradition from the very dawn of civilization, here is the history of Man’s relentless pursuit of the knowledge which inspired this planet’s great philosophies and religions.

When still a young man attending university, Ronobserved that those working in the humanitieshad no training in the exact sciences. Believing that the precision of the scientific method might furnish asolution to the problems of life and livingness, he urged facultymembers of the psychology department to apply the principlesof physics to the field of the mind.It was an entirely novel approach. And when no one tookup the challenge - either then or in later years - Ron undertook the task himself.

Every human being seeks to know the truth about himself and to resolve to his own satisfaction the mysteries of life. And therefore, for many thousands of years, countless philosophical and religious teachings have sought to enlighten people with answers. But where their practitioners insisted - indeed, demanded - that their answers must be theanswers, they blocked the road to greater freedom for millions of people.

Here is a story that begins with Ron’s immersion in a deeply spiritual, deeply traditional Asia, where he met and befriended - among other savants - the last of the great magicians whose predecessors served in the court of Mongol emperorKublai Khan. Yet not withstanding the feats that testified to remarkable powers, here was a land where wisdom was deemed sacred - so sacred, infact, these Oriental holy men declined to use their considerable abilities to solve the real and urgent problems of living.

Today weapons exist powerful enough to annihilate whole nations. And violence has become commonplace, often in disregard of human life. Why has there been such a lessening of moral responsibility and, most important, what can be done about it? In providing the answers to these questions, Ron exploresthe history of Man’s research and investigation in the field of thehuman spirit.

Released on May 9, 1950, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health became an overnight publishing sensation. Immediately hitting The New York Times best seller list and remaining there for 26 consecutive weeks, it was unquestionably the most popular book ever published on the human mind - a distinction it holds to this day. So great was the excitement that, virtually overnight, some 750 Dianetics groups sprang up across the United States....