The Underground Railroad

There is a really good site that gives the facts and myths about the Underground Railroad in quiz form. I started taking the quiz (and got about 80% so far on the questions).

Here's an example of one of the True or False questions:

Question:Nearly all runaway slaves managed to escape to safety in the North or Canada.

Answer: False-- Many fugitive slaves failed in their attempt to be free. Those closer to the North faired better because they didn't have as far to go. Why did they fail? Slave narratives explain that the runaways faced many dangers. For example, they traveled on foot through hills, meadows, woods and swamps they did not know. If they came across rivers, they needed to swim across or chance catching a boat. They had no maps, no suitcases, and the only food they had was what they found, such as wild fruit and plants. They always carried with them the stress of the possibility of being found by professional slavecatchers and sent back into slavery.

This would be a great site to use to teach kids about the Underground Railroad.

Self-Respect

There's an interesting piece on the L. Ron Hubbard web site on the relationship between the lack of self respect and crime.

"There is not a criminal in the world, L. Ron Hubbard tells us, whose life of crime cannot be traced to a loss of self-respect. And if we were to ask that criminal what is meant by a loss of self-respect, we would inevitably hear the most pitiful phrase imaginable: 'one day I found I couldn’t trust myself.'"

The article goes on to describe how Mr. Hubbard's technology has been used to help rehabilitate the self respect of people caught up in prison system - notorious for the incredible rate of recidivism. Criminon, which uses these breakthroughs, has had tremendous success reforming criminals.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love. It was settled by the Quakers who proved their dedication to their belief in the integrity and value of all humankind by establishing and running the Underground Railroad, which smuggled thousands of slaves out of the South and to Freedom before the Civil War.

My Fellow Man

The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

However, it is one thing to say this, or publish it. It is another thing to live it.

In his essay "What is Greatness" L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, wrote:

"The hardest task one can have is to continue to love his fellows despite all reasons he should not.

"And the true sign of sanity and greatness is to so continue.

"For the one who can achieve this, there is abundant hope.

"For those who cannot, there is only sorrow, hatred and despair. And these are not the things of which greatness or sanity or happiness are made.

There is no quick, easy fix to achieve the ability to grant such importance and life to others. In fact all of Scientology ultimately puts the being in good enough shape that he/she can accomplish what Mr. Hubbard wrote in these few lines.

But every step you take in Scientology you become more able to live up to these ideals.

And, as the writers of the Universal Declaration so correctly put it, every man is worthy of being considered important, valuable, and precious.

If we all had or strove to have, this view of one another, there would be peace.

The Dalai Lama

"Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free."

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Freedom Magazine Human Rights Leadership Awards

Three real humanitarians were awarded Human Rights Leadership Awards last night on Capitol Hill. It was the celebration of the 38th Anniversary of Freedom Magazine, and the mistress of ceremonies was Academy Award nominee Ms. Anne Archer.

Auditors

This week was the celebration in LA and in Clearwater and England of "Auditors Day."

This is a day Scientology churches celebrate each year to honor auditors.

According to the Scientology glossary and auditor is:

... a person trained and qualified in applying Dianetics and/or Scientology processes and procedures to individuals for their betterment; called an auditor because auditor means one who listens.

The remarkable thing about Scientology and Scientology auditors is that they address the spiritual needs, purposes and lives of individuals while at the same time being a technology as invariable as any of the physical sciences.

That's remarkable because 1) it never happened before and 2) boy do we need a science that can help men, women, children and groups overcome their all-too prevalent tendency to act crazy!

What is war but group insanity?

And riots? Terrorism? Racism?

All group insanity.

Personal Integrity

There is an excellent chapter in the Scientology Handbook dealing with the subject of self-respect and personal integrity. It is called Improving Conditions in Life.

The information in this chapter is really powerful. I've seen people totally turn their lives around with the use of this information.

Respect Begins With Self

Remember: An important aspect of respect is respecting yourself. It may sound like a cliche, but if you can look yourself in the mirror and be happy with the person you see, you are well on the way to receiving respect from other people. If not, look no further.

Self-respect is possible. Read The Way to Happiness.

Don't Laugh

I saw this very cute website with a great message - they are promoting to teach children to increase respect for others and they call it "Operation Respect." The website is called "Don't Laugh."

Well I'm not laughing - I think its great that they are doing this. Educating children at an early age to not be prejudice is important. Too many people grow up with a bias viewpoint and then can't think any different. This is how intolerance is bred.

Students Promoting to Respect Rights

I was very pleased when searching around to find various school and universities promoting that one should respect the rights of others. Even a university in Newcastle, which is 100 miles north of Sydney in Australia has something to say about this on their site.

Respecting the rights of others

"Studying at University will bring you into contact with people from diverse backgrounds. You may be expected to work with other students as part of your course work, whether communicating in an online discussion forum, or participating in a group assessment.

"Inclusiveness aims to allow everyone, no matter what a person’s sex, race, age, nationality, gender orientation, sexual preference, marital status, political conviction, religious belief, disability, carer or family responsibilities, the opportunity to learn together and from each other.

"In particular, the University of Newcastle's Policy on Inclusive Language states that all communications at University should:

"Avoid images, expressions, or language constructions that reinforce inappropriate, demeaning or discriminatory attitudes or assumptions about persons or groups based on age, race, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, marital status, political conviction, religious belief, or disability, family responsibilities or carers’ responsibilities

"Use images, expressions and language constructions that positively reflect the richness of the social and cultural diversity of the University and its community, in acknowledging the range of lifestyles, experiences and values.

"Be aware that written communications that are derogatory of others may infringe defamation laws, and if they are derogatory of others in relation to race, they may breach racial vilification laws. See the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977"

Respect for People I Work With

To hear some of my friends talkabout the politics and pressures at their jobs in LA, I realize how lucky I am to be working with people I respect and get along with.

I Respect the Nobel Laureates

The men and women who have earned the Nobel Peace Prize are by and large worthy of respect.

I especially respect Nelson Mandela. He is a man of great integrity and courage.

There is a very beautiful web site called The Community. It's all about the Laureates and it is well worth a visit.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers like Steve Carlson

I respect Scientology Volunteer Ministers like Steve Calrson, who drop everything and go to disaster scenes to provide help to people who really need it.

Freedom Magazine wrote an article on Steve (and I found a little piece about it when I was browsing through the site of the Church of Scientology of Tampa).

Just one more thing I like about Scientology.

Human Rights Advocates

There are many people and groups working in the field of human rights. These are people I respect and admire.

One person who sets the standard in the field is David Miscavige. As Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center. As described on the RTC web site, Mr. Miscavige has been "the worldwide ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion ... for nearly 20 years...." and under his leadership the church's activities to improve society have dramatically increased.

The human rights education campaign, the Scientology Volunteer Minister program and the work Scientologists are doing to educate kids on drugs before they become "statistics" are three examples of this.

Mr. Miscavige gave a speech in which he described not only the social mission of the Scientology religion but an excellent description of the religious philosophy itself. The speech is called This is Scientology and an excerpt of it is online on the RTC web site.

Scientology Drug Education

Those that dedicate their time to helping people with drug problems have my utmost respect.
This is not an easy vocation and requires immense patience to help people come through the most horrific experience, both physically and mentally.

A crucial thing is educating people on the dangers of drugs before it becomes a problem. Ensuring our children, teenagers and loved ones are aware of the havoc that can be wreaked.

The Church of Scientology International's website on drug education is very informative. They also have booklets on the subject.

David Miscavige Heralds the “New African Century” at Opening of New Home for Church of Scientology

David Miscavige Heralds the “New African Century” at Opening of New Home for Church of Scientology

Saturday, November 2, 2003, the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg opened the doors of its new headquarters in Kensington, the hub of Scientology activity in South Africa. More than 1,400 guests and well-wishers — government and religious leaders, human rights champions, celebrities and professionals, church members and friends — came from all over Africa and from many countries to celebrate the landmark dedication.

Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Centre, capped the lineup of honored guest speakers, each of whom recognized South Africa’s Scientologists for their indomitable spirit and historical achievements.

“You don’t just represent the hopes and dreams of a continent, you represent the hopes and dreams of all civilization,” David Miscavige told the Scientologists and dignitaries attending the grand opening, “And, if South Africa dreams of a Rainbow Nation, then, Africa, here is your church — a church where, regardless of color, regardless of creed, regardless of social standing, you are welcome. “Because,” he concluded, “we are not white. We are not black. We are all one to another brothers of humankind.”

Read the rest of the article about the Grand Opening >>>

Here's an interesting article I found the other day:

Spotlight on Scientology

With such visible celebrities as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley devoted to the dynamics of ‘Dianetics,’ an explanation of the religious philosophy is in order.

JENNY HUNSPERGER Tucson Citizen

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may get it, but many may not.
Here's what Jim Bennett, the Phoenix-based public relations representative for Arizona's Scientologists has to say.

Question: What is Scientology?

Answer: Scientology, which means "knowing how to know," is a religion based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86). Scientology addresses man as a spiritual being and gives people tools to apply to their lives to improve conditions. Among these are the techniques for alleviating spiritual trauma contained in Hubbard's "Dianetics" books.

Related story:

There's no stopping Tom Cruise

Scientologists believe the "reactive mind" - that portion that works on a totally stimulus-response basis, not under the volitional control of the individual - exerts force and the power of command over one's awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and action. Through spiritual counseling called "auditing," Scientologists reduce and ultimately erase the power of the reactive mind.

The reactive mind is of no benefit to the individual and is a source of irrationality, fears and nightmares. Its eradication achieves the "state of clear" and brings to view the individual himself. It is a landmark step in the full recovery of one's true nature and in ultimately achieving full spiritual awareness and freedom.

The first Scientology church was established in Los Angeles in 1954, and today there are more than 5,100 Scientology churches, missions and groups in 156 countries around the world.

Q: How many people practice Scientology? How many in Arizona?

A: There are millions of people who use Scientology in their lives worldwide. It is difficult to have an exact estimate because the church is growing so fast that it is an ever-changing number. Locally, there are probably about 5,500 to 6,000 people who are connected to our church in some manner. We are having requests for our services and technology in unprecedented numbers this year.

The technology of helping people improve unwanted conditions is hitting an all-time level and the church is expanding at an unprecedented rate. We are growing bigger because we have solutions to the problems of the society and we believe that something can be done about it.

Q: What is it exactly that Scientologists believe in?advertisement

A: Scientology religious doctrine includes certain fundamental truths. Prime among them are that man is a spiritual being whose existence spans more than one life and who is endowed with abilities well beyond those which he normally considers he possesses. He is not only able to solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also to achieve new states of spiritual awareness he may never have dreamed possible.

Scientology holds that man is basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself, his relationships with his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe. We also believe that through the spiritual salvation of the individual, Scientology seeks the ultimate transformation - "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights." (from "Dianetics")

Like Scientology, all great religions have held the hope of spiritual freedom - a condition free of material limitations and suffering. Scientology believes that "something can be done about these unwanted conditions," and we work tirelessly toward those goals.

Q: What is Scientology's view on family and marriage (i.e. sex before marriage, gay marriage, birth control)?

A: Scientologists recognize marriage as a part of the second of the eight dynamics of existence and this
includes all creative activity, including sex, procreating and the raising of children. We consider the family unit to be of major importance to the stability of the society and the furtherance of the species of man. The fundamental belief of Scientology is that men and women are spiritual beings who live lifetime after lifetime. Our views are all based on that principle and not on the sexual orientation of a person's body or the body itself.

Someone I should have added to this blog a long time ago, Mr Tom Cruise.

So what makes him worthy of a spot in "Deep Respect" is the deep respect he shows to others.

Yes, he's a movie star, yes, he's a great movie star - but I think anyone that sees what he does when he's not doing movies, and even when he is doing movies, will see that he is a very caring individual who puts his time and money into other people's well-being for the future.

I have some links that give some vivid examples of this:

MSNBC Interview covering Tom Cruise and Scientology

TOM CRUISE - SCIENTOLOGY - LAST SAMURI

Tom Cruise Scientology Blog

Award to Tom Cruise for Scientology achievements

More than a celebrity.



He is also the project co-founder of the New York Detox Center and he hosted an event for the first program graduates, honoring both their service to New York City and their successful detoxification.

It is not likely you have heard of the sailing motor vessel, the Freewinds. See the virtual tour.

It is not a well-known fact, and being the people that they are, they don't crow about it -- but the people on this ship have done a number of a heroic things, as well as being very contributory to the their ports of call.
Providing entertainment, a venue, goodwill and even helping to educate local children on life at sea.

I am including some different things to look at here, giving you the specifics on their activities.

To me, these people warrant deep respect, in that they are helping others on a constant selfless basis.