Conflict Resolution within the Aftermath Foundation - Former Scientologists

I am fascinated by the Scientology story.  I remember in the 80s those crazy Dianetics commercials where the volcano was erupting.  The concept of merging faith and science was fascinating to me and frankly made sense.  I was raised in a non-denominational church with strong Baptist and Pentecostal roots.  At one point we lived in a small community and there were 3 main families who attended our church, the Green Family, the McNally Family and the Baker family.  There were others too, but some people called us a cult, even though we weren't.  So, with this in mind, I looked at Scientology and thought "who am I to judge what they're believing when others are judging my church and I know what we are, and aren't".  But, time passed, there was no Scientology anywhere near us and I forgot about it.  Fast forward to Leah Remini and the Aftermath.  Mark and I binged the show and we were amazed and saddened by the information this show exposed.  Being me, I joined the show Facebook group which lead me to YouTube where I did more research, and became acquainted with the people from the show.  I follow the stories, their lives and these are such strong, amazing people.

When there was a huge outpouring of support from the non-Scientology community after the show a few people decided to form The Aftermath Foundation, solely to provide support for people who have left or are attempting to leave Scientology.  The Aftermath Foundation was formed by Luis Garcia and Aaron Levin-Smith (YouTube handle Growing Up In Scientology).  They then invited some other ex-Scientologists to join.  Aaron Levin-Smith became something of a YouTube phenomenon with absolutely explosive growth of subscribers.  He has a wonderful natural interview style and he talked to one former Scientologist after another and donations to the Foundation grew.  He actively encourages others to start their own channels, tell their own stories, and speak their truth.  Channel after channel started and then they did some YouTube fundraisers for the Foundation and money came pouring in.  The Danny Masterson rape trials brought more attention to the group (loosely called SPTV - SP represents Suppressive Person which is what Scientology labels them).  SPTV was spearheaded by Aaron and he even flew to California to cover the Masterson trial in person, which brought even more visibility.

Anyway, without going too deep there has been a conflict which has blown up on social media.  What has been fascinating to watch is how the different personalities and generations are handling this conflict.  There is the group of "Former OSA" (Office of Special Affairs) officials who were truly the top officials in Scientology before they left.  This conflict showed their base instinct was to revert to that control mentality.  But, they also are an older generation (mostly) who would be maybe Baby Boomers and older Gen X.  They grew up under a strict structure and command without a lot of individual thinking.  The other side of the conflict is made up of Gen X and Millenials.  These people were born into Scientology and then got out.  Growing up in a tradition of deep control, they are adverse to that now.  They are open speakers, open thinkers and rebel in being told what to think or how to behave.  

Other YouTube bloggers have jumped on the bandwagon and have been commenting on the conflict.  There are ways to resolve this conflict without tearing everything apart if the sides can openly communicate.  

One thing that has struck me hard is the openness of the younger generations to forgiveness with change.  These people have been disconnected from their families, their lives, everything they grew up in.   There are people who have not spoken with their parents in years.  Others were told family members had passed away when they hadn't.  The stories are horrible and we're watching the very on-going adjustments mentally and emotionally to what they are going through.  The emotions are raw and real.  One person was even accidentally exposed on a live feed (her name was shown on a text) which resulted in her and her son losing connection with half of their family.  I'm so proud of her in how she's adjusting and yet being very real about the pain and hurt, not only for her but her teenage son.  (Relatable Reese).  

I listen to podcasts most of the day while I'm going through my chores, etc.  I listen to spiritual podcasts, I listen to podcasts about science and history and UFOs and Scientology.  I find myself thinking about these people when I approach situations.  There are practices in Scientology that are horrible but have given them incredible communication skills and how they handle conflict from others.  I'm so impressed.  

So many people disparage those from younger generations.  And yet, the world keeps going on.  I watch my sons' generation and how they approach their views.  They're searching and exploring and the world IS changing.  Covid shutdown and restart has showed us just how deeply our world is changing.  But, watching these people handle the current conflict gives me a reassuring sense of hope for resolution and peace in more than just this conflict if they are a true representation of their generation.  It will be different, it may not look like it would look if I ran the world, but I think we're in very good hands.