Hi Cindy,
I don’t know if you’ll see this but I just read your post and want to say thanks!

You’re welcome Hallie Jane.

Pepper there was no “comment” or “reply” to your post, but I was very moved by your post to Mike. I really want to validate you for making the decision as a young kid that you would not have to continue living like that and that you would take responsibility to build a good life for yourself, which you then did as you got older. Wow. What empowerment! VWD to you for creating your life and for not wallowing in blame, shame, regret for what you went through. And so cool that your mom later apologized and you two were very close after that. I loved your story.

Beautifully illustrated Pepper, thank you.

I did notice a lot of the staff had terrible english compared to the average working asian i’d meet so that makes sense

You’re welcome Mike. You are a good person too. Don’t give up the fight or on your purpose.

Thank you Pepper. You are a good person. 🙂

Mike,

I can see how you would feel responsible for raising your children in the S.O. and putting them into “an environment with no other choice”.

I would like to tell you something about that. I was born into an environment in which I had no choice either. While my parents were loving, they had their “issues”. Certain tragic things happened in my family while I was very young which changed the course of all our lives. I don’t want to get into details, so I will summarize my own experience.

When I was 12, I remember sitting outside with my parents and their friends one summer day and feeling very unhappy. I hated the environment I was living in and was sick of the drugs and alcohol abuse, the bad behavior, the neglect, the loneliness, the shame, etc that was pretty much my life which I kept hidden on the outside but lived on the inside.

I had an epiphany in that moment: “I don’t have to live this way forever”. I saw my life in the near future, away from all that and able to live as I wanted to. This gave me great hope and from that point on I lived with a purpose that I could create a life that I wanted for myself. I forgave myself for the situation I lived in and realized that I was only born into it, I didn’t create it. I knew I couldn’t have what I wanted right then and there (at the age of 12) but I knew that once I got out on my own, it would happen. I am happy to say that I did achieve exactly that (and prior to Scientology too).

Later on when I was 33 years old, while driving in the car with my mother, she out of the blue asked me for my forgiveness for how I was raised in my childhood. She owned up to things that happened and for her role in it. I forgave my mother and told her how much I appreciated her saying the things she did. I knew it wasn’t necessarily an easy thing to do. I cannot tell you how much good that did me. I loved my mother even more for it and truly admired her. Our relationship became so much closer too.

Later on I followed her model and did the same with my oldest son. I asked him about certain things regarding how he was raised and I asked him for forgiveness. There were certain things that I had attention on and I wasn’t happy about it. My son was surprised that I was thinking what I was but I saw he was so happy that I was showing concern for him and that I wanted things to be well between us. Since that day, we too share a stronger bond.

Many people have situations from their childhoods involving their parents and how they were raised. I believe that your children probably think about you every day. One day, they may have an epiphany of their own which will be life changing for all of you. I sincerely wish that for you and for them.

They bought the property, as I understand. If that is correct, then they can subdivide the land and sell part of it with the development approval already on hand for a few dozens of residential properties.
Chatswood is the preferred step on the property ladder for middle class Asians, but they’ll sign up only as a supplier to the establishment 🙂
The Asians who were so visible at Syd org and the AO in previous years came from Taiwan and Japan, for temporary stay. Those who permanently live here usually have good English with qualification as a professional and have to make a living therefore pretty hard to fool.

Maybe, but it’s been done before many times.
I think David Miscavige will figure out that’s a dead end ( no pun intended)