Scientologists and Freedom of Speech

In the expression of individuality, in the effort to set things right, in the pursuit of understanding, there is arguably little as important as freedom of speech and of expression.

In the pursuit of enslavement, one of the first incursions made by he who would enslave is the curtailment of expression—the belief that there are some things which should not be uttered, drawn, sung or written.

The person who would forbid you from free expression is the person who hopes to, at some point, have you in chains.

As Scientologists, we are very much in favor of freedom of speech.

“Mother is Listening”

Stop yourself from speaking
from writing, painting or the expression
of ideas that represent the truth
because it might offend someone
and you stop yourself
because of fear.

Don’t call it something else.
Don’t try and pretend that it’s right.
Or nice.
Because it’s not.

Fear is anathema.
It perverts the vision
and mutes the mind.

It wraps the artistic voice in cotton batting.
Ask Picasso about Guernica.
Ask Dylan about Hattie Carroll.
Ask Goya about the Revolución.
Ask them their opinion of the “politically correct.”
Ask Mandela about the politics of South Africa or 
Gandhi about the benefits of colonialism to the indigenous.
Ask Socrates about the taste of hemlock.

Mute your voice because the truth
sounds offensive to some, and you break
the wings of the soaring bird.

And in that moment
you begin the dance of the death of the soul.

The surveillance culture is rife with
the iconic presence of “Big Brother.”
The politically correct fear
the disapproval of “Mother.”

Honesty is born of equity.
Decency is born of courage.

Big Brother is watching.
Mother is listening.
Piss on ’em!

AUTHOR
Mike Graves
Internationally acclaimed poet Michael Graves has published three books of poetry and has been a Scientologist for more than 40 years. If he's not writing or consulting for business owners (his day job for more than 30 years) you can probably find him out back, working on his deck.