On board ship for the next seven years, L. Ron Hubbard again travelled extensively, while devoting his attention to ever-worsening problems facing society through the late 1960s and early 1970s. Of special note from this period is the drug rehabilitation programme he developed, recognised today by authoritative studies around the world as the most effective in existence. It was also during this period that he developed the highest levels of Scientology, refinements of application, new administrative principles, and advances in the field of logic.

Returning to shore in 1975, Mr. Hubbard continued his travels — first from Florida to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles before finally settling in the southern California desert community of La Quinta near Palm Springs, his home until 1979. There, searching for new ways to make Dianetics and Scientology more easily accessible, he wrote dozens of training films on these subjects to visually demonstrate proper application of technical principles. He directed many of these films himself.

Long concerned with accelerating social decay, in 1980 Mr. Hubbard wrote a nonreligious moral code based on common sense. Published in booklet form, it is entitled The Way to Happiness. In explanation of this work, he said, “Reading the papers and wandering around in the society, it was pretty obvious that honesty and truth were not being held up to the standards they once had. People and even little kids in schools have gotten the idea that high moral standards are a thing of the past. Man has in his hands today a lot of violent weapons. He doesn’t have the moral standards to go with them.”

Loudly applauded by community and civic groups around the world, The Way to Happiness soon spread across the planet. An entire grassroots movement formed to disseminate and use the booklet to uplift the decency and integrity of man. To date, more than 62 million copies have been distributed, with millions more being demanded each year.

“The Scientology movement is not pushed by one man, it is pushed by millions. “If you champion the dignity and freedom of mankind, you are a Scientologist at heart if not by name.... “We believe in mankind. We can and are helping man, our countries and society. “We’re not ‘one man.’ We are millions and we are everywhere.” — L. Ron Hubbard

Also in 1980, Mr. Hubbard found time to resume his fiction career. Celebrating his 50th anniversary as a professional writer, he turned his prodigious energy to the authoring of Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000. This epic science fiction novel was followed by the ten-volume Mission Earth opus, a satirical romp through the foibles of our civilisation. All eleven books went on to become New York Times and international bestsellers, a consecutive bestseller record unmatched by any writer in history.

Returning to his more serious work with continued research into man’s spiritual potentials, Mr. Hubbard travelled extensively through California in the early 1980s. In 1983, he took up residence in the town of Creston, near San Luis Obispo. Here he completed his research and finalised the Scientology technical materials he had spent most of his life developing.

Today, those materials are recorded in the tens of millions of words on the subject of the human spirit, which comprise Dianetics and Scientology philosophy. The over 25 million words of his lectures — just those that are on tape — are enough to fill over 100 volumes of text.

In fact, it may well be that L. Ron Hubbard’s works include more literature, recorded research and materials than any other single subject of philosophy, the spirit or religion. All of these materials are available to anyone who desires an improvement in his life. Well over 150 million of his books are in circulation today.

Having fully completed his research and seen its broad application expand to five continents and over 60 countries, improving the lives of millions of people, L. Ron Hubbard departed this life on January 24, 1986. Instead of an end, however, it marked the beginning of an unprecedented expansion of the religion of Scientology around the world, as more and more people benefit from his technologies.