I came from a town in rural America of 750 people. I had a couple of self-generated realizations when I was about 10 years old. (I say self-generated because they weren't the results of any adult or peer talking to me. They just seemed to be right to me).

     One was that not all of what I was being taught in school was necessarily true and that I should closely examine certain important aspects rather than just listen to what the "authorities" were saying. The other, which came later, was that it just didn't seem possible to end my consciousness despite the Madison Avenue concepts of "you only go around once in life" that I was being bombarded within the "Golden Age of Television" . Armed with these two spontaneously created truths I met up with the only group of people who were vocalizing the same concepts and showing me that not only were they written down, but that there was an entire list of courses and counselling available which helped one discover the truths behind these concepts.

     Even though I am still applying my first realization and have continually questioned the tenets and concepts imparted to me in my now 28 year study of Scientology, I have yet to find a reason to doubt its functionality and plausibility.