Reference: Scientology 8-8008
This paper presents Section 31 from the book SCIENTOLOGY 8-8008 by L. RON HUBBARD. The contents are from the original publication of this book by The Church of Scientology (1952).
The paragraphs of the original material (in black) are accompanied by brief comments (in color) based on the present understanding. Feedback on these comments is appreciated.
The heading below is linked to the original materials.
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Everyone-Nobody
(See material above on Identity versus Individuality.)
Every person feels himself to be just as you feel yourself to be. Nobody is different. You have desires; they have desires. You have pains; they have pains. By knowing yourself you know others too.
It may be confusing to the preclear that being everybody can be conceived at both ends of the tone-scale. The difference is that at the bottom end of the scale, the preclear is making the mistake of considering the “somebodies” around him as MEST. He can be their MEST identities. At the top of the scale, while still retaining his own identity, he can be anyone’s identity but this is on a theta level and is disassociated from MEST. That preclear who goes around believing he is other people is usually at the bottom end of the tone scale and has confused his own body with the bodies he sees because he does not have a proper view of his own body and so can easily mistake it for the bodies of others.
If you are looking at others as mere objects then it is very likely that you yourself have become an object. At least your viewpoint has become solid and it cannot appreciate finer details. The understanding is missing. By having better understanding of others you can have a better understanding of yourself, because your viewpoint can now appreciate finer details.
Identity is the result of viewing something cursorily; individuality is the result of detailed and finer view. You can believe yourself to be another person only when your viewpoint has become solid and unappreciative of finer details. You should be able to view both similarities and differences.
When an individual is low on the tone-scale, he easily does a life continuum for others because he himself is so encased in MEST and so poorly recognizes his own identity that he can conceive himself to be anyone without knowing what he has done.
There is this phenomenon of a person attempting to carry on the life of a deceased individual by means of generating in his own body the infirmities and mannerisms of the departed individual. This happens only when viewpoint has become solid. This is the manifestation when one is low on the tone scale.
The question of valences and life continuums is difficult to resolve in direct ratio that the preclear conceives himself to be MEST.
Such phenomenon of a person unknowingly assuming the characteristics of another person may be hard to resolve depending on how low he is on the tone scale..
MEST, lacking the ability to create space and to produce directive action is, of course, nobody. When a man is convinced he is a nobody he has been convinced at the same time that he is MEST.
A solid viewpoint is fixed like the viewpoint of a material object. There is no life in it. it cannot see what is there and generate a response. It just reacts. A person with a solid viewpoint has become nobody.
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FINAL COMMENTS
A person high on the tone scale can appreciate others around him. He is aware of the similarities and differences between him and them. He understands their desires and pains. He is somebody.
A person low on the tone scale has become very solid in his viewpoint. He cannot appreciate finer details. Others appear to him as mere objects. He can just be like them as an object. He is nobody.
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