View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
20 February 2008

Hubbard’s aims

Kenneth Eckersley touches upon the impracticality of helping the masses, and how L Ron Hubbard fills

By Kenneth Eckersley

Mahatma Gandhi famously replied, when asked what he thought of western civilisation, “I think that’s a very good idea.”

I subscribe to the aims of Scientology which are: “a civilisation 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”.

Similar aims have been held by millions of people through the ages, yet still we have insanity, crime and war in abundance – probably more than ever. One’s inclination can be to shrug and say these aims are impossible.

But my experience is that there are two fundamental requirements to being able to make some decent progress towards their achievement:

1. Recognising that each individual person has a spiritual nature and that they are basically good, no matter how “bad” they might be in their current state.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

2. Having a workable technology that can assist each individual person to become his or her true, good self. Whilst it has proved impractical to help “the masses,” you can help individuals and they can help themselves and others if they know how. Then it becomes a question of increasing the numbers of individuals helped.

For me, L Ron Hubbard and Scientology have provided both of these requirements.

Scientology practice involves the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life. The religion comprises a body of knowledge extending from certain fundamental truths, and prime amongst these are that we are all immortal, spiritual beings. Our experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. Our capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realised – but those capabilities can be realised.

We are able to solve our own problems, accomplish our goals and gain lasting happiness, and I have witnessed that we can also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability.

One aspect that has always appealed to me is that in Scientology no one is asked to accept anything on faith. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results. Like me, millions of others have now followed this route and become better and happier people as a result. See www.scientology.org for more on this.

In addition to the spiritual path to betterment undertaken in Scientology, Mr Hubbard’s work has many non-religious applications, and I believe that these are also integral to achieving the above aims. I touched on these in my last article – they address the fundamental threats to happiness which plague this Earth – drugs, illiteracy, crime and immorality.

One thing I consider worthy of special mention is a common sense guide to better living called The Way To Happiness. This comes as a booklet, and its purpose is to arrest the current moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust to us all. With it L Ron Hubbard fills the moral vacuum of an increasingly materialistic society. He describes 21 basic principles that guide one to a better quality of life. Entirely nonreligious, it can be followed by anyone, of any race, colour or creed – and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.

I have found this booklet to be invaluable in forming the basis of Scientology’s criminal rehabilitation programme and vital to our drug rehabilitation services. It has been distributed by governments, businesses and individuals to over 90 million people around the world. See www.twth.org

I do believe that, working together with like-minded people of goodwill from all faiths and backgrounds, the above aims can be achieved.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU