Necessity of games – Universe 25 experiment

Introduction: A welfare state requiring no contribution will at length be paid in revolution. A hat "worn" without contributing to the team… will cause an upset and discomfort in oneself, a harmful reaction from others, and reactions within the remainder of the team.

It is best to first understand what Universe 25 Experiment was about and read the summary. Link (https://ngzh.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/168_4_15-17.pdf)

"Hard times create strong men,

strong men create good times,

good times create weak men,

and weak men create hard times."

– Attributed to G. Michael Hopf

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Necessity of Games

[Text marked in dark blue are direct quotes from Ron.]

Ron defines a game as consisting of freedoms, barriers, and goals.

Ron also says that Serenity of Beingness is not the goal of Scientology. So it is not the aim to be at 40.0 on the Tone Scale. He says in the Philadelphia Doctorate Course that Games, 22.0, are the ideal level. On that course he also says that if you want to make someone come alive, you must take MEST (matter, energy, space, and time) away from them.

Ron equates communism – a form of government in which the state ensures that everyone always has everything, where theoretically there is never any scarcity – to Covert Hostility, 1.1. The project of Universal Basic Income could fall into this category.

Ron also writes that production is the basis of morale. No product, no morale.

Our Bridge brings preclears and OTs toward Games, Game Masters, and New Games. Men have a necessity of games.

Here is another quote: "Short cutting tech delivery is fatal."

Games – e.g., Scientology, auditing, a Ron's Org – when truly played, with many products and especially with many terminals involved, lead to high morale.

Happines: Happiness, you could say, is the overcoming of not unknowable obstacles toward a known goal.

Ron also writes: Always process toward a games condition. Never process toward a no-game-condition. Always process games conditions. Never process no-game conditions. This is more complicated than you think.

As a stark contrast, I want to recommend reading about the experiment Universe 25 by John B. Calhoun. Look it up. It is in any case worthwhile to read this short study or listen to it on YouTube. These "happy mice" had absolutely no game. The really shocking thing is that the mice apparently degenerated mentally to such an extent that this state of mind led them to extinction. What astonishes me is that the mice could not pull themselves out of this downward spiral. John B. Calhoun had placed them into an absolute "no-game condition."

The much longed-for paradise that we humans keep praying for can be a deadly trap.

Whether one draws conclusions for humanity from this experiment is up to each person. But one thing is certain: the technological revolution, and now artificial intelligence, are maneuvering an ever-larger part of our society into a no-game condition.

A thetan will always seek a game. Any game is better than no game. The concern is that the games will be shaped according to the amount of reactive mind and the lack of Scientology training.

The more AI we will have, the more important it is to have a game like Scientology. In Scientology, it is not about rushing up the Bridge as fast as possible – it is much more important to have a good game.

In the words of John Lennon: "All we are saying is give Scientology a chance."

Much love,

Max Hauri

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Summary of Calhoun’s Mice “Universe 25 Experiment”

PDF available

John B. Calhoun’s famous “Universe 25 Experiment” with mice is one of the best-known studies on how population density affects social behavior. He wanted to see what happens when a community has unlimited resources but becomes crowded over time.

For the experiment, Calhoun built a large enclosure designed to be a “mouse utopia.” The habitat could theoretically hold about 3,000 mice. Inside it, he made sure there was everything the animals could need: unlimited food and water, protection from predators, a stable climate, and over 250 nesting areas. In other words, there were no natural limits that should have stopped the population from growing.

At the beginning, only a few pairs of healthy mice were placed in the enclosure. The first phase went exactly as expected: the population grew rapidly, doubling every couple of months. The mice spread out, built nests, and raised their young in relative peace. For a while, it looked like the utopia was working.

But as numbers increased, the mice were forced into closer and closer contact with each other. Even though the enclosure was not yet physically full, the constant interactions created psychological stress. The maximum population was reached at around 2,200 mice, far below the 3,000 the enclosure could have supported. After this point, reproduction slowed down sharply, and disturbing changes in behavior began to appear.

• Aggression became common. Some dominant males started attacking weaker mice, sometimes without reason.

  
  

• At the same time, many males gave up competing altogether. These withdrawn mice spent their days eating, sleeping, and cleaning themselves, but they no longer fought for territory or tried to mate. Calhoun called them “the beautiful ones” because their fur remained smooth and perfect, but they had no social or reproductive role.

  
  

• Females were also affected. Overcrowding and stress made many of them unable to care for their young. Some abandoned their litters, while others became aggressive toward their own offspring. Infant mortality increased dramatically, and fewer and fewer babies survived.

Even though food, water, and space were still available, the colony began to collapse socially. Violence, isolation, and maternal failure replaced normal patterns of community life. Eventually, the mice stopped reproducing altogether. After reaching the peak of 2,200, the population entered a steady decline until the colony completely died out.

Calhoun called this process the “behavioral sink” – the breakdown of normal behavior in conditions of extreme social density. He believed that the results carried lessons for humans, especially in crowded urban environments. Just as the mice showed stress, aggression, and social withdrawal, people in overcrowded cities might face similar risks if social structures break down.

Although later researchers have debated how directly the experiment applies to humans, it remains a powerful example. It shows that material abundance alone is not enough for a healthy society. Without functioning social relationships and enough psychological space, even a “perfect” world can collapse.

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Service

Policy Letter 27. May 1971 by L. Ron Hubbard

The essential ingredient of any post is Service.

A hat essentially is contributive. It contributes to the general production of the team.

Contributism is a philosophy in itself. You find it in The Factors. You also find it would apply in economics. One contributes. One is contributed to. By others contributing to others who then contribute back, one is also benefited.

When contribution is cut or not allowed, denied or withheld, one gets the phenomenon of ARC Break in the form of cut C – Communication. (Where A is Affinity and R is Reality.)

ARC Breaks precede harmful intentional acts.

Thus you can expect that when contribution is not balanced to some degree, trouble and upset occurs.

From such breakdowns we get the violence of strikes, political philosophies and even revolution.

A welfare state requiring no contribution will at length be paid in revolution.

A hat "worn" without contributing to the team or without contributing one's real efforts will cause (a) an upset and discomfort in oneself (b) a harmful reaction from others and (c) reactions within the remainder of the team.

Morale is dependent upon production. Production is accomplished by numerous contributions of thought or effort.

Any existing organization or civilization is the sum total of its past and current contributors in terms of thought and effort.

Some contribute much, some little.

Rewards are not necessarily proportional to contribution and do not necessarily establish the degree of contribution.

Actually a "reward" is what one desires, not what is given.

Approval and validation are often far more valuable than material rewards and are usually worked for far harder than mere pay.

Even being part of an important team is a return contribution. Thus "customer approval" of the team is part of the rewards one achieves.

The subject of what one receives in return for contributing is as variable as the desires of Man.

Anyone who has a hat is expected to contribute the services outlined by the hat.

Other teammates and customers or clientele or "the public" expect a staff member to contribute his specialized services to those who seek them.

Thus Service is a keynote of a hat.

Many years ago when I first looked this over, I had a high position of command. After a great deal of sorting out, I finally concluded that the only privilege it conferred on me was the right to serve. After that I could handle the post. And was happy with it.

Certain it is that degradation is inevitable when the Right to Serve is interrupted or denied.

It is worth thinking about in relation to happiness.

L. Ron Hubbard

Founder