A TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE COMPREHENSION

In the years following L. Ron Hubbard’s breakthrough on the importance of the misunderstood word, he developed a considerable body of technology which enables one to deal with the misunderstood words or symbols he encounters.

The relay of ideas from one mind to another mind or minds depends upon words, symbols, sounds, pictures, emotions and past associations. Primary among these, in any developed culture, are words. These can be written or spoken. While whole subjects exist concerning the development and meaning of words, many of them very learned and worthwhile, practically no work was ever done on the effect of words or the consequences of their misuse or noncomprehension.

What was not studied or known before L. Ron Hubbard’s development of study technology is that the flow of ideas in any message or field of learning can be blocked in such a way as to suppress further understanding or comprehension from that point forward. Further, the misunderstood word can even act in such a way as to bring about ignorance, apathy and revolt in the classroom and in the workplace depress productivity.

Not only did these factors remain undiscovered before Scientology, but also, of course, no technology existed to remedy the problem.

To enable a person to handle the effect of misunderstood words, L. Ron Hubbard developed the subject called Word Clearing. Word Clearing is part of the broader field of study technology, but in itself Word Clearing has many uses and applications. Word Clearing can be defined as “the subject and action of clearing away the ignorance, misunderstoods and false definitions of words and barriers to their use.”

In his observations of society, Mr. Hubbard had noticed a deterioration in literacy during this century. This conclusion is inescapable if one compares the political speeches and literature of a hundred or even fifty years ago to those of today. He noticed that the public was more and more dependent upon radio, motion pictures and television, all of which contain the spoken word, and he considered the possibility that these messages were not being fully received or understood. His observations were confirmed when an advertising association undertook a survey which showed that television audiences misunderstood between one-quarter and one-third of all the material they watched—findings with alarming implications. Not only are there serious economic consequences, as the study pointed out, wherein up to one-third of advertising expenditures are wasted because the public does not understand the ads. More importantly, such a gross level of noncomprehension can generate antipathy and even aggression among viewers.

When one speaks or writes, one has the responsibility to others to do so in a way that he will be understood. Further, one has a responsibility to oneself to ensure that he understands what he sees and hears.

L. Ron Hubbard developed nine separate methods of Word Clearing and several related technologies for handling the effects of misunderstood words and false information. Each method provides a different way of locating noncomprehension, identifying the underlying misunderstood word and then helping the individual come to a full understanding of the word so he can use them in his own vocabulary. Thousands of hours of research and hundreds of thousands of case studies went into the development of these nine methods.

In the twelve or sixteen years or more that a student spends in school, the unknowing accumulation of undefined words and symbols can present a serious barrier to knowledge and productivity in life. Also, when a person comes across words or symbols in everyday activities outside of the classroom that he does not understand, these, too, will end up limiting his capabilities.

With the techniques of Word Clearing, whole subjects which were not understood at the time and therefore could never be applied in life can be “recovered” and actually understood and used. Such is the power of clearing misunderstood words. Wherever communication is being engaged in, given or received, the technology of Word Clearing will find beneficial use.

Mr. Hubbard once remarked, “The future is the only frontier without limit and the frontier that we will all enter and cross no matter what we do.” Reading news headlines is enough to tell anyone that social problems are escalating in virtually every community and that these portend a bleak future. Drugs, crime, unemployment, poverty and violence are all indicators of how extensive educational failures have become. A great many of those enmeshed in such problems could have been happier, more productive individuals if they had simply learned how to learn. If used, study technology will salvage both our current and future generations.

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