I was one of those young idealists of the ‘60s who emerged from that decade very muddle-headed, not to mention cynical and misdirected. What I understood about the mind and the spirit, you could fit on the head of a pin and still have room to spare. I had questions about philosophy, religion and life, that just weren’t answered sufficiently in Philosophy 101 or church sermons or Life Magazine. And then there were other people to deal with! How was I ever to understand my fellow man if I didn’t understand myself? I felt as though no one even knew who I really was, except me, and I baffled myself sometimes. That made me lonely.

     It might have been a fluke that I walked into a Church of Scientology for a free personality analysis, and yes, I probably just bought the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health because the registrar told me to buy it. But there, on the inside cover, was the first clearcut statement that began my 28 year study and application of Dianetics and Scientology—a definition of happiness that I could actually use to begin sorting out my life.

     The first time I applied the Dianetic procedure, I helped a friend resolve an upset with his fiancée. Since then, there have been many successes helping friends, family, and even strangers. For instance, I once used a simple Scientology procedure to sober up a drunk driver, who realized he had side swiped a car when leaving the parking lot of the bar, and he returned on his own volition to take care of the damage.

     My first Scientology course, in basic communications skills, is still paying off. And you know what? The aims of Scientology aligned beautifully with my own true ideals:

     “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, are the aims of Scientology.”

     —L. Ron Hubbard

      Funny thing, too. The word “Scientology” means “knowing how to know.” I can only speculate what my life would have been like if I had not wandered into that Church of Scientology so many years ago. Can’t imagine it would have been better.

     I understand and respect myself, have a wonderful marriage of over 20 years, friends in many regions and walks of life, and the freedom to pursue my goals, is the result of knowing how to know, for myself.