What is TC talking about?

clipped from www.mtv.com KSW: Keeping Scientology Working. Refers to a policy LRH published in 1965 that requires all Scientologists to follow his words and rules exactly. "It is something that you have to earn": Cruise is referring to taking Scientology courses. the tab for wisdom can be hundreds if not thousands of dollars. "Am I going to look at that guy or am I too afraid?" According to former and current members, pre-clears have to learn to look someone straight in the eye for hours. out-ethics If you misbehave, you have "out-ethics. SP: "Suppressive Person." An SP is someone who commits suppressive acts, like murder, criticizing Scientology or altering LRH's teachings Journalists are automatically considered SPs because they traffic in bad news and so are barred from entering Scientology. Psychiatrists would also be SPs PTS: "Potential Trouble Sources," as in Scientologists who are losing the faith or are being influenced by an SP.

The things that people will buy into -- and Scientology is something one literally has to buy into -- is enough sometimes to make me think that insanity is the norm for the human race. But then what is "insanity", really? Usually it refers to people operating outside of the norm. The farther outside of what's considered "normal" (for any given society) one's actions/ lifestyle/ personality happen to be, the more likely said society is to label them as "crazy". Hence, by this definition, it is impossible for insanity to be the norm amongst society as a whole. But despite the subjective relativity of "insanity", most individuals tend to view "mental illness" as an objective concept. Were insanity truly objective, it would then be possible for insanity to be the norm. However, in this instance, the "normal" person wouldn't recognize their own insanity. It would only be recognized by those abnormal few that were lucky enough to be spared mental illness. Of course the majority of society would likely consider that small objectively sane population to be the insane ones. Or perhaps rather than insane, they would simply be viewed as "SPs", "sinners", "heathens", "infidels" or any of the other names societies "religions" have for people whose belief systems differ from their own.

I clearly have no "spiritual skills"...

I suppose it's no surprise, really. I never exactly considered myself a spiritual person, aside from a couple of years in my life when I thought I was in training to be a guardian angel. (what? it's not that crazy!)
Let's take a look at the individual traits indicative of spirituality, and see how I score..
a deep-seated sense of meaning and purpose in life -- NO
sense of belonging -- NO
acceptance -- NO
integration -- NO
wholeness -- not sure exactly what's meant by this one, so I can't say.
being self-reflective and honest -- I'd like to consider myself both, so one up for me:D -- YES
being able to remain focused in the present -- ummm... sure... as long as by present you mean my life time... but basically... NO
alert -- NO
unhurried -- YES! (who woulda thought I could get kudos for procrastination)
attentive -- I suppose I'm attentive to somethings... I'll give that a MAYBE
being able to rest and relax -- YES! I can sleep all day long! (and sometimes do)
developing greater empathy for others -- NO... oddly, my empathy for others seems to be decreasing as the years go by.
finding courage to witness and endure distress while sustaining an attitude of hope -- well life has taught me that I have the courage to witness and endure many, many distressful things... but while sustaining an attitude of hope??? Hardly! NO
improved discernment -- in general, maybe... in regards to their example... NO... I tend to speak when I should remain quiet, and remain quiet when I should speak.

clipped from www.rcpsych.ac.uk Spirituality involves a dimension of human experience that psychiatrists are increasingly interested in, because of its potential benefits to mental health. It is not necessary to hold formal religious beliefs, or engage in religious practices, or belong to an established faith tradition, to experience the spiritual dimension. spirituality is identified with experiencing a deep-seated sense of meaning and purpose in life, together with a sense of belonging. It is about acceptance, integration and wholeness. Spiritual skills include: being self-reflective and honest; being able to remain focused in the present, remaining alert, unhurried and attentive; being able to rest, relax and create a still, peaceful state of mind; developing greater empathy for others; finding courage to witness and endure distress while sustaining an attitude of hope; developing improved discernment, for example about when to speak or act and when to remain silent;